Unravel
by Torun
Summary: What begins as an attempt to change the future, will reveal something which will have repercussions for Dwarven society in general and the kingdom of Erebor in particular. Sequel to The Fell Winter.
1. Chapter 1

Just a few words before we start.

In case you haven't done so already, I suggest you find The Fell Winter and Winter Tales first and read them. Why? Because they precede this story and I have written them and this as part of a series, and there are things in this story that don't make much sense without having read them.

This is also completely AU, even if it's set in Middle Earth. This means I have chosen to change things around – a lot. If that's not your cup of dried black leaves soaked in hot water, leave it. What you can count on is that I have pondered Tolkien canon a lot, how to use it and change it for it to become logical. He also had quite a lot of holes in his knowledge about all sorts of things which makes it difficult to use his canon as-is without cringing, not to mention that he certainly was a man of his time, country, and class. It shows in his writing.

As for Peter Jackson's film-verse, yes, I have used that too, though I'm not nearly as gracious towards him as to Tolkien. My reason for this is that it's his interpretation of Tolkien, so we are equal in that we're both borrowing Middle Earth for a while. But he, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens did come up with some interesting things that I have decided to keep.

And if you had a problem with Tauriel being added to the films, this is not a story for you. There are at least seven female OC's that has been added in smaller and larger roles throughout this series and I have kept Tauriel on top of that. I have also applied Rule 63 (for any given male character, there is a female version of that character). As a canon female character Galadriel has an obvious place here, as does Dis. Brace yourselves, for the latter is very important in this third part of the series.

Last, but not least – Orcs. You'll meet some, in a way you rarely do, if ever. I refuse to buy the very racist notion of the faceless, all twisted, and evil, enemy. One of the many flaws in Tolkien's world.

For anyone interested in spoilers, headcanon and general thoughts behind this series, I suggest you find my Tumblr blog dedicated to my writing; torunwrites.

The only thing I own is my imagination.

Happy reading!

* * *

><p><em>Erebor, 2941 TA, November 14<em>_th__, 21 days after Smaug's death_

Mari sat leaning against a crenellation on the ramparts high above the main entrance to Erebor, watching the sun rise over the Desolation, drinking in the solitude as had become her habit the past few weeks. It was a chilly morning and there was a distinct taste of metal in the air. The clouds in the sky, looking like they were dipped in pinks and purples, most likely would bring snow to the mountain as the day wore on.

Despite the nippy weather it was a relief to come outside whenever she had a chance. Since they had arrived at the Desolation she had been feeling nauseated and with it came tiredness. She herself attributed it to the dragon's long presence in the mountain. Who knew what Smaug had infested the place with? Fresh air at least helped somewhat and every morning she sought refuge out here on her own, watching the sun rise.

She wasn't completely alone of course. Aside from the usual guards, she had a shadow. Usually it was one of Dwalin's trustworthy men, but on occasion it was the man himself. Today, though, she had a somewhat unusual one – Fili. Her friends usually let her have this moment to herself so his presence did pique her curiosity. Eventually, when the cold drove her inside, she'd have to poke at him about it. For now though, she was happy sitting where she was, facing the red sun with him faintly visible in the shadow of an arch, his blond hair giving his position away.

She studied Dale in the distance. There were subtle signs the town was slowly coming to life. It made her smile as she spotted a thin pillar of smoke rising from somewhere inside the city walls.

With a soft sigh she turned her eyes to Mirkwood. There had been little information on the developments in the south. The ravens had told them the Elves were returning, but that was the only news they'd had so far.

To her left she heard the clang of steps on stone and she threw a cursory glance at the one intruding on her musings, catching Fili's blond hair. He was slowly making his way over to where she was seated on the wide and strong wall. Her eyes refocussed on Mirkwood.

"You often look to the south," he said when he was within distance for a conversation. "I can tell it is worrying you."

Mari smiled faintly. "And it's not bothering you at all?"

He squinted his eyes and shot what almost was a glare to the south too. "Of course I care. There's no point to losing sleep over it, though. Kili tells me you dream. New ones," he continued and came to a halt next to her.

She hadn't told Kili what she was seeing in her dreams as she woke up, sweat-soaked, with a hammering heart. She could do nothing but mutely raise and tear to the side the skin put up in front of the embrasure to keep the cold winds out, and stare into the darkness. Other times she woke with a dull ache in her chest, grieving over the world as it was, wishing it could be different even though she knew it was futile.

"How would he know it's new? I have told him nothing." She knew it was childish, because it would be pretty clear to someone who'd shared her bed the past two years that the nature of her nightmares had changed lately.

"Something has you more terrified than the Orcs that used to try to slay you before. Then there are the times you wake and simply stare for the rest of the night into the fire. He never saw you like that before. It makes us both uneasy."

She tried to shrug, but the old wound twinged and her face briefly contorted in pain. Fili reached out and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Still bothering you?" With open concern he stepped unusually close for being in public. Ever since they had arrived in the Iron Hills in summer he'd kept a slight distance between them in public spaces, the way he hadn't before. It didn't take much imagination to understand why and she'd been perfectly fine with it.

Something was different this morning, but she couldn't say what had him acting out of character. She took another look at him and noticed the shadows under his eyes.

"It will always bother me, until the day I die," was her quiet reply.

"You were healed," Fili insisted with a frown.

She nodded. "By the best. But it leaves a mark on anyone who lives through it."

He shook his head and his gaze grew solemn. "I'll never forget. It was an awful promise I had to make."

"You know I couldn't trust Kili," she said softly. "Besides, I doubt _I_ could have done it if the roles had been reversed. How could I ask him to do something I couldn't do myself?"

Fili sighed heavily. "I understood why you asked me, but had I been forced to follow through, it would have torn me to pieces. I doubt I will ever have to face any task that difficult again."

With a smile she put her hand over his, pressing it reassuringly. "Good thing then we crossed into Lorien before I was hit."

"Anyone who questions your loyalty should know what you did." He twisted his hand around and gripped hers, pressing tightly as he slowly brought their joined hands to his metal-clad chest. It was cold under her skin and she frowned, her eyes drawn to his torso. He was wearing a cuirass, she realised. Chain mail. Next to her he placed a helmet with a quiet metal scrape, one she hadn't noticed before that had been in his hand.

With increasing concern she took in the way he was dressed. Fili was more protected than when they had taken on the dragon, she suddenly realised. He was expecting a fight. She swallowed hard and raised her eyes to meet his steady blue gaze. This was all wrong, she thought, and her stomach decided in that moment to start churning. She curled her fingers trapped in his hand and he tightened the grip in response, and she knew he was not going to let her walk away from him.

Something must have happened that she was unaware of. If an outer threat was about to descend on them, one she hadn't heard of yet, it shouldn't be Fili standing here like this. Not the future king. It should be Kili bringing her such news. But he had been gone since the evening before, when with a smile he had kissed her forehead and had told her to not wait up because he could be late.

"Where's Kili?" she blurted with an alarmed voice.

A heavier gait reached Mari's ears. She glanced over Fili's shoulder and met Dwalin's sincere gaze. Fili slowly released her hand as he turned towards the older warrior, positioning himself between Mari and the approaching relative. She couldn't help notice that his hands rested on his swords and that his usual jovial swagger was nowhere to be seen. Dwalin's eyes missed nothing and though he didn't change his pace, he grew tense and hawk-eyed.

"Good morn," Dwalin greeted them quietly. Far too quietly.

Fili gave him a short nod, but offered nothing else.

"I have been ordered ta escort ye ta see the king, Miss Mari," Dwalin continued formally, looking straight at her.

The blond heir was already straight as a spear, but he somehow managed to square his shoulders even more.

"Why?" he demanded, and Mari glanced at him, wincing at his tone, even if it was logical. Fili could hardly take on Dwalin and live, but he outranked the older warrior, and he let Dwalin know he meant business with his armour and his manners. The only one in this mountain ranked higher was the king himself, the one Fili was going to replace one day.

Dwalin hesitated for a moment, studying the blond man who was looking every inch the crown prince he was.

"Yer brother has been arrested fer treason, and the king has reason ta believe he has co-conspirators." His voice was heavy and weariness was clearly visible in his face.

Mari's lungs deflated and she stared at Dwalin in disbelief. Fili's words seemed like they were spoken at a great distance and as they reached her, they had ceased to mean anything to her. She closed her eyes. Thorin's escalating paranoia and aggressive behaviour had been troublesome, but despite his increasingly erratic behaviour she hadn't expected something like this to happen.

"No!" Fili's voice cut into her consciousness and her eyes snapped open. "You know this is complete and utter madness. It has to be stopped."

"He's yer king! Continue and ye will face tha same fate as yer brother," Dwalin growled, standing very still, like carved in the very granite of Erebor itself. Mari drew a deep breath as she studied him. Like Fili, he showed signs of being off kilter too, at first glance most noticeably in the lack of weapons. Grasper and Keeper, his axes, were missing from his back and he wasn't carrying his war hammer either. As she focused on his face she realised he too seemed drawn, but it was of a different kind than Fili's. Here was a man doing his duty, but one he didn't believe in.

Undeterred Fili continued his protests. "There are no others that are as loyal as Kili and myself, save you and Balin. The fact that he is accusing Kili of treason is proof enough that he's not himself. If we allow him to go through with this, we'll soon have a rebellion on our hands, led by Dain. I can't say I would blame him."

Mari slowly scooted from her position and slipped down to the ground. It was all wrong, she knew it was, but Fili and Dwalin were about to manoeuvre themselves into corners they wouldn't be able to get out of without significant loss of face, or some kind of aggression, one which would end in serious injury and possible death. She couldn't watch that happen to either of them.

"Fili," she said with a low voice. She put her hand on his chain-mail-covered arm, and began slowly rounding him as she glanced up with a reassuring smile. Fili spun towards her and snatched up her wrist in a firm grip, positioning himself between her and Dwalin again, invading her personal space to the point of almost sandwiching her between himself and the wall behind her.

"You have to try to reach him. I can only do so much, and Kili has failed," he hissed in her ear.

She ducked her head, trying to hide in his hair as best she could to keep her face out of Dwalin's sight – not an easy thing to accomplish as Fili wasn't much taller than herself, giving her very little to actually hide behind.

"I don't know if I can do anything!" she hissed back. "It's not like Thorin ever listened to me."

"Try convincing Dwalin. You're our last chance," he breathed and she shuddered both because of the air he ghosted over her ear and the grave situation she found herself in. Dwalin cleared his throat behind Fili's back and she instinctively peeked up at him, meeting his somewhat flustered glance.

"Ye might want ta consider how this looks," the warrior groused.

Fili moved a fraction to lean his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. When he pulled back she met his eyes and gave him a single nod. He stepped back and let her wrist go, allowing her to pass him to stand in front of Dwalin.

"No need to haul me off like a common criminal," she said with a lopsided smile, aiming to lighten the mood somewhat.

"Yer nawt, so ye have little ta fear," was his laconic answer. He was still intensely aware of Fili who was standing at her side glaring at him, but he allowed something of his usual manners towards her shine through, which raised her hopes.

"Dwalin, you know that's not true. Kili locked up for treason? Me being fetched like this because there are suspicions of a conspiracy? This is no fair hearing, and you know it." Thanks to her nervousness her stomach churned in an alarming fashion, and it forced her to pause and breathe with an open mouth. She closed her eyes momentarily. Her mouth filled with saliva, and instinctively she swallowed before she could stop herself.

"Oh bloody hell," she moaned and tore away from the two men as bile filled her mouth. Leaning on her hands against the wall, she heaved again and again, though her stomach was empty. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her knees were about to buckle when a solid arm wrapped around her waist, holding her upright, at the same time as a palm supported her forehead.

"Breathe slowly. Don't swallow. Spit if you must," Fili coached with a calm voice.

She snapped after air but willed herself to calm down, and slowly the reflex to vomit ebbed away. As she straightened and opened her eyes a handkerchief materialised in front of her and she blinked gratefully as she reached for it to clean herself up.

"Why haven't you told us you're sick?" Fili demanded, studying her with concern.

"I'm not sick. I've had bouts of nausea since we came to the Desolation. It's something here making me feel less than stellar, that's all." She smiled weakly. "It's worse in the mornings after being shut up in the mountain all night, but the fresh air usually makes me feel better." She reached out and patted him on the arm. "Thank you," she added and turned back to Dwalin, taking a deep breath.

"I have a few things to say, before I'm dragged off, if that's okay with you." She couldn't keep the weariness out of her voice and she wished she could sit down for a while. As if Fili sensed her exhaustion he stepped back in and steadied her, holding her around her waist again.

Dwalin studied her for long moments, and then he nodded reluctantly. Looking into his eyes she saw the inner conflict and her heart went out to him. His position was a difficult one, she could tell. Thorin was not only his king and commander, but a friend too, one he had known all his life. He if anyone would know when something wasn't right. Having to execute the orders spawned in his friend's paranoid mind, putting him in direct conflict with the young men he had raised and knew better than anyone but their mother – oh how that had to wear on him. For all his strength and capability he was powerless in this situation. Mari took another deep breath and steadied herself as best she could. She had one shot at this, and one alone.

"Thorin and I have never had the same familiarity as I've had with the rest of you. That doesn't mean it has been bad. Different, certainly, but fine. But I have watched him change, and it's not the same Thorin wearing the crown now, as we fought side-by-side with at Greenfields. Once we came here and had killed Smaug it really took a dive. You have to admit you have seen it too."

He hesitated for a while and Mari held her breath. "Aye," he finally admitted darkly, briefly averting his eyes. It was like her heart remembered it should beat again and she quelled a sigh of relief.

"People are whispering about madness, but I don't think it is, not the inherited kind. The rest of you belonging to the family are unaffected. Dain's family branch is also free of any such illness. It's only ever the kings who suffer and while it doesn't matter where they are, which could indicate a hereditary cause, it's just that – it's only the ruling king who is affected. It just cannot be 'in the blood', or someone else would be suffering from the same condition." She paused to catch her breath for a moment.

"You can see when it happens," she mused. "It's something about the eyes and how he pulls in on himself – that's when you know it's coming. I keep thinking it's like he's two people, where the Other is about to slowly take over." She shook her head and shifted slightly. Fili adjusted his grip on her and she looked up at Dwalin to gauge his reaction. He was listening intently, with half an eye on Fili, clearly not comfortable with their closeness. She really wanted to kick the older man in the shin, telling him to pull his head out of the gutter.

"Have you seen it?" she asked, pushing away the annoyance.

Dwalin stirred marginally, seemingly uncomfortable with her question. "I can't betray my king." His voice was a raspy whisper.

"No one's asking you to betray Thorin. It's not what it's about. You knew Thror. You saw Thrain. And now you see Thorin, here. Don't tell me you don't see that something is very wrong." She motioned towards the mountain. "This isn't Thorin. He can be disgruntled, quick to anger. Harsh. But he can also be generous and admit when he's wrong. And he can smile. The Thorin endlessly pacing inside the mountain right now is not that man."

"It's just too familiar for me to ignore, but I don't know exactly what's causing it. I can bet my life on that it's something from the outside affecting him, something. . . " Her eyes darted towards Mirkwood and the south and a note of pain wormed itself into her voice as she continued.

"Smaug may be dead, but that doesn't do much good if all is lost because of Thorin's increasingly erratic behaviour. The source must be found. This must end or we'll also condemn the next king to the same fate. If he even is allowed to become king. It's no secret there are those who oppose the idea of Fili's ascension." Her eyes sought Fili's and for the first time she saw fear there. She fought off the impulse to give him a reassuring hug. This was neither the time nor the place for such a display, in particular since she already was subject to slander.

Tearing her eyes from him she sought Dwalin's gaze. The instant she laid her eyes on him, she knew she had won, and her heart ached for the great warrior. On impulse she reached out and put her hand on his arm. He gave her a long look, then turned to Fili and grunted in response.

"Mahal's forges," he sighed. "This. . . " he made a helpless motion with his hand. "It's nawt as simple as ta order him ta stand down" His shoulders sagged and he looked away, blinking rapidly.

At her side she felt Fili straighten. "We must remove him. Put him to sleep. It's not hard to do. A bit of wine and some opium, and he's knocked out." It was bluntly put, though it wasn't said as if it was an order. "Once he's out, we'll lock him up in a safe chamber, while we try and find what's causing this. Meanwhile, everything needs to continue as it has, with everyone else continuing their appointed tasks. Make certain the rebuilding and cleaning up continues, and that people are fed. No plan changes."

Dwalin grunted, still not facing Fili, but he nodded.

"You'll need to explain his absence," Mari pointed out quietly.

"An attempt on his life. There are poisons that can kill us too after all. It makes it easy to explain why he's not in his halls either, recovering, since we fear someone might want to finish the job." Fili looked grim as he spoke, and she realised this had been a genuine fear of his, that Thorin would be murdered. Dwalin finally turned back to look at Fili and she could tell this had definitely been a shared fear.

"He'll need to be looked after." Her eyes wandered between them. "I think I can do some good there," she suggested.

The two men stared at her for a moment. Fili shifted his weight, throwing a glance at Dwalin, who returned it, both men being uneasy now. For a moment her nausea bubbled up again, and as she hung her head Fili's grip tightened on her. Willing her system to calm down she raised her head and turned to face Fili.

"I'll. . . try to find out exactly what's going on with him. You know I can't be anywhere near you in this situation so it's the perfect solution. I'm out of sight and out of mind. I'm also pretty expendable in comparison," she continued to argue.

Fili sighed heavily, but didn't tell her no, even if she could tell he really wished to. Dwalin shuffled next to them, bringing their attention to him. Still dejected, he pulled himself up, squaring his shoulders.

"I'll find my brother. Meet me in the armoury once she's resting," he said and his voice carried a surprising amount of resolution. The two men gazed at each other for a while, until Fili nodded at him. Dwalin tore his eyes from the blond heir and glanced at Mari, before he determinedly revolved and strode towards the entrance, leaving them like frozen, watching him leave. Mari's knees buckled as he disappeared inside, but Fili kept her upright.

"Fuck," she growled and tried to convince her legs to cooperate.

"Dirty mouth you have sometimes, sister," Fili commented blandly.

"As if yours isn't," she sighed.

"Feel like being carried inside?"

She snorted. "Not really."

"I thought you were used to it by now, considering how many times my brother has done it," he said with dry amusement.

"I think he does it because he likes to pick me up." She tried to find some purchase with her feet but her legs kept being far too wobbly, much to her annoyance.

"Yes, because being shot and otherwise mauled, and collapsing because of exhaustion and illness has nothing to do with it," he deadpanned.

"No one ever carried me around before I came here," she protested.

"And you died. Come here," he resolutely said and moved in, picking her up.

"That was below the belt," she sighed, but she didn't fight him.

"You have to be careful, Mari. Don't forget, Uncle's a warrior. And strong. He's capable of all sorts of foul play." Fili clenched his jaw as he brought her inside.

"I'll be watching myself," she promised.

"I don't like it."

"You don't have to like it, just make sure no one gets any ideas." She leaned her head against his armoured shoulder, drawing deep breaths to stave off the nausea creeping up on her again.

"Let Oin take a look at you. Please."

She groaned in frustration. "Stop nagging. You're like Kili."

"In this case, I fully support him. If it's serious you may need to leave the mountain for a while."

"Can't do that now. And if it were truly dangerous I'd be dead already." She smirked at him. "Chemistry 101. I took that course."

He huffed and glared down at her. "Sometimes I wonder if you're making those things up."

"You know that I don't. Where are you taking me?" She glanced in the direction they were heading.

"To Gisla."

She sighed deeply in relief, even if nausea was hitting her in waves now, intensified by the swinging motion of being carried. "I'm getting seasick. Are we there yet?"

"Soon," he replied with a smirk.

+.+.+

Gisla was up and dressed, and if Mari were to guess, her friend had never gone to sleep. The black-haired woman gasped as she opened the door and let them inside.

"I'm not dying," Mari quickly said and waved at Gisla as Fili crossed the floor to a chair by the fire.

"You're not doing well either," Fili said pointedly. He gently put her down, and then sank down on his knees in front of her. "Please take care of yourself."

She smiled encouragingly at him. "Don't concern yourself about me. Just make sure the mountain is still in one piece with everyone alive in it once this is over." She reached out and tugged him into a hug. "Good luck." Hesitantly he returned it and then he quickly rose, faced Gisla, and took her hand, leading her back to the door.

With a hushed voice Fili informed Gisla of the progress, as well as about Mari's condition, making it seem more serious than Mari believed it was.

"I'm still not dying!" Mari called out in protest.

Fili sighed. "I must leave. I'll send a message once it's all settled." Gisla nodded and he leaned in to kiss her.

As Gisla had closed the door behind Fili, she briefly leaned her forehead against the door.

"Just so you know, there might be some gossip about me and Fili," Mari sighed from her place by the fire.

"Doesn't matter what you do. Some people will gossip about you and Fili. And Ori. And Dwalin. And Thorin." Gisla turned around and smiled tiredly. "It's not about you. It's about them. Not liking your presence."

Mari nodded. "So, want to tell me what has happened? I take it Kili really wasn't having a late night, keeling over someplace because he got too drunk?"

Gisla sat down next to her and shook her head. "He confronted Thorin last night. Got himself locked up."

"Yeah, Dwalin told me he was incarcerated. Why didn't he tell me he was going to talk to Thorin?" There was a note of hurt in Mari's voice as she asked.

"He wanted you safe. If you didn't know, you'd just do what you usually do and have no answers if brought in for questioning."

"I was being watched." Mari sighed. "So that's why Fili showed up this morning."

"Keeping you from simply being dragged off and locked up too," Gisla confirmed. "He hoped you'd be able to say something convincing to the right person to stop this lunacy."

Mari leaned her head against the backrest. "It worked. With a little help from my nausea." She pulled her lips into a brief smile.

Gisla nodded but scrutinised her friend closely.

"Not dying," Mari said in a sing-song voice.

"So you say," Gisla said dryly.

"If there was something truly deadly here I'd be gone already. It doesn't take more than a few hours if there are deadly doses of whatever a dragon spews." Mari sighed. "Please trust me on this."

"What if it's something else?" Gisla asked. "We're not that easy to kill with poison, but that doesn't apply to you."

"Then you'd have to put Bombur behind bars. And anyone trying to poison me would use a dose large enough to knock you out, which would definitely kill me. As I'm NOT DEAD, I doubt someone is deliberately trying to poison me."

She sighed. "I think I need to eat something. Haven't had breakfast yet and I've had a tough morning. Do you have something light, like crackers? Something to drink would be nice too."

Gisla practically shot out of her chair and quickly brought out some biscuits. As Mari nibbled on one, Gisla began making tea.

"Ginger tea. Good for upset stomachs," Gisla announced as she poured it and handed a cup to Mari.

For a long while Gisla studied Mari who nibbled biscuits and sipped tea. "Do you have any idea at all?" she asked. "What's wrong with Thorin, I mean."

"I recognise the way he's acting, which is a clue. I don't know the source though, and I'm a bit at loss as of why it has exploded the way it has just very recently."

Loud banging on the door had them both jumping where they sat. Gisla drew a deep breath and rose from her chair, fearlessly crossing the floor and opening the door with the confidence of someone not expecting anything untoward. Without a word she stepped aside to let the person standing outside to step through.

Mari peeked at the opening and quickly pushed herself out of the chair, hurrying over to the door, meeting Kili as he stepped inside. The grim mask he was wearing lifted for a moment as he saw her, and as Gisla closed the door behind him, he wrapped her into a crushing hug.

"What were you thinking?" Mari chided him with a scowl on her face, as he released her. "This could have ended really badly! He's not in control of himself and capable of giving truly dangerous orders! You could have been killed!"

"Something had to be done and fast, and the only thing that would be serious enough for people to spring into action to try to salvage the situation was if either Fili or I faced Uncle's wrath. It couldn't be Fili, so it had to be me," he explained gently. For some reason he looked almost giddy as he bore the brunt of her anger, and as Mari threw a look in Gisla's direction, she noticed how Gisla was quelling a smirk.

"You really don't think I can get angry when you put yourself in danger like this?" she asked and turned back to Kili. "Of course I can!"

He burst into laughter and pulled her back into his embrace.

"Whatever makes you happy, love," she grumbled dryly, as she understood the reason for his mirth – the good old Dwarven possessiveness, which she didn't have.

"I had all but given up hope," he said and slackened his hold on her.

"Well, you've been quite good at not putting yourself in really serious situations until now," she shrugged.

"Unlike someone else I know," he replied, and Mari's face flushed red. "Which leads me to the reason why I'm here." He sighed heavily. "Mari, I don't think it's wise for you to do this. First of all, you're not well. He's asleep and when he wakes up. . . "

"He'll be furious? Yes, I can imagine. Did you persuade Oin or did you steal the opium?" Mari asked.

"He hadn't slept for days, and Oin was ready to slip the opiate in his wine of his own accord."

"And the rest? How many know?"

"Ori. Of course. Dori and Nori. Nori is out somewhere, spreading rumours among the commoners, while Dori is running the practical part, keeping servants and people with no business anywhere near the royal wing in check so as to not reveal Uncle's location. Dwalin and Balin obviously. You and I, Fili and Gisla. Bombur, since the kitchen needed to be informed, or at least the one responsible for running it. That means Bofur and Bifur knows as well. The guards Dwalin trusts. That's it. None of the servants brought here from the Iron Hills have been let in on this."

"Gloin?" Mari arched her eyebrows.

"Balin has called him in, but I don't know if he's been told yet, and either way, he doesn't have a task in this particular venture. Not much he can do really. His work will not change simply because of this, but he still needs to know."

Mari nodded. Gloin was feisty and would not take lightly to being excluded.

"I'll just pick up a few things I need-" Mari begun, but went quiet as Kili grabbed her shoulders tightly, gravely gazing at her.

"He'll be livid. Under normal circumstances he would be able to contain it, but he has lost his sensibility. Completely and utterly. I never thought I'd say this, but we cannot rule out that he could actually harm you."

"I know-" Mari made a new attempt to speak.

"He's chained up, Mari."

She stared at him with her mouth slightly ajar. "You. . . chained him up?"

"We took his boots and chained one ankle. He can't reach the door."

"I thought you were going to keep him confined. . . "

"We don't have the people to keep up the security required to simply lock him up. We can't risk an escape attempt."

She drew a deep breath and blew out the air, squaring her shoulders despite his grip and put her hands on her hips. "He can't wake up alone in such a condition."

Kili started looking desperate. "He could. . . despite being chained up he still can. . . you could do nothing. . . " He went quiet and ducked his head.

"He can't reach the door, you said. Right?" she asked. He gave her a small nod. "Then the door is the safe place. If it gets too bad, I can leave and come back, but he can't wake up alone. Someone must be there."

A hammering on the door interrupted them. Kili moved himself and Mari away from the door as Gisla opened it to receive a message, which she quickly read.

"I'm called to Balin's office," Gisla said and turned her head towards the other two. "Kili, you're asked to join us as soon as you can. No lingering. It's Fili's own words."

Mari gripped his hands, pried them from her shoulders, and tugged him towards the fire. "He can't reach me," she whispered and looked intently at Kili. "He can yell, curse, threaten all he likes, but he can't do anything. If he throws anything, I'm out of there. I'll be fine. You on the other hand must be with Fili because he needs all your backing or we'll have chaos here. You're good at this. What's more, you're well-liked among Dain's people and Fili needs that."

She put her hand on his cheek and smiled. "Come and see me when you can. I'm quite sure Thorin would appreciate seeing you as well. It was the Other who imprisoned you, not Thorin."

"I promise I'll come this evening," he replied.

"I must go," Gisla announced, and Mari and Kili turned towards her. Mari nodded and glanced back at Kili.

"Come on. Let's do this." She smiled encouragingly.


	2. Chapter 2

_The Greenway, Minhiriath, June 2940 TA_

The sun was blazing, scorching hot, slowly burning the landscape around them. Two weeks into their journey with relentless sun and very little shade to speak of had made Mari re-evaluate hot summer weather.

She was down to a thin white oversized shirt and shorts she had crafted out of a pair of trousers. Her boots were hanging on her pack and the stirrups were crossed in front of her. A thin blanket saved her thighs from being turned red and blistered by the leather saddle she was in. On her head she had a straw hat she had managed to remember to bring, not so much for the sun as for any potential rain which she had hoped the very simple bonnet-shaped hat would keep from her face.

As usual, the Dwarves seemed to have an easier time with the elements. They had made some concessions to the heat, and just as she, they drank more water, but otherwise they seemed unaffected by the conditions. When she asked about it, she got laughter for answer at first.

"We were forged by Mahal and were never meant to stray far from a blast furnace," Fili exclaimed cheerfully. "But we tolerate most kinds of weather," he added.

Gisla smirked at him. "As long as it's not rain. Or a gale. Or both."

Fili grimaced and glanced at her. "We're mountain dwellers. Nothing strange with that," he grumbled and turned to Mari. "Even if I don't prefer cold, I'd rather have snow and severe cold than a deluge," he admitted.

"Do you really believe you were forged by Mahal?" Mari asked hesitantly after chewing on her lower lip for a while.

Gisla smirked, but didn't offer anything. Kili fell back behind her, and when she turned her head, looking over her shoulder, he simply smiled benignly at her raised eyebrow. Fili stared ahead with a blank expression on his face. Only Ori seemed to give her question sincere consideration.

"It's our history," Ori replied when no one else seemed willing to break the silence.

Mari contemplated it for a while. "Some archaeological digging in certain locations paired with carbon dating probably would give some interesting results for you to chew on. Pity neither is available."

Fili looked quite bothered but avoided looking at her.

"You don't believe in it." Ori turned his curious gaze on her.

"Honestly? No." She smiled at him. "Every culture has a creation myth. Fascinating, and a reflection of that culture and its history, certainly. I think, however, that you have existed far longer than the myth suggests, and you may have a lot more common than you think with the others living here too. But it is interesting that you can handle heat as well as you can. Such things don't just happen."

Fili turned towards her and his eyes bore holes right through her. "So what do you suggest is the reason then?"

"It's difficult to have a hypothesis when I have virtually no insight into your anatomy and there are no archaeological findings that could offer any clues," she replied gently.

Scrunching up his face, Fili turned towards his brother and pointed at Mari. "Is this what you're putting up with all the time?" he asked incredulously.

Kili kept his congenial smile in place. "It's intriguing, don't you think?" Mari quelled a smile at his answer. It was true – Kili would always listen with interest when she talked about things no one really knew much about in this world, and she had found that it was a good way to keep what she once had learned in school fresh in her mind. It wasn't always easy to explain things, as some of it was built on knowledge she took for granted which Kili knew nothing or very little about, but she usually managed.

Fili stared at him. "You're not jesting."

With twinkling eyes, Kili only smiled back.

"Wouldn't it be intriguing if it turned out that you've in fact been around much longer than you think? What if it were revealed that you have common ancestry with the other races here?" Mari asked, eyeing Fili, still riding next to her.

Dismissively he waved at her. "Even if that's true, there's little in common now."

Again she chewed on her lower lip while squinting her eyes. "It depends. Sometimes if two lines haven't diverged all that much they could still produce offspring," she finally said.

He turned his attention back to her and looked absolutely horrified. "Elves?" he squeaked.

"Or Orcs," she blandly pointed out.

Fili looked like he was about to fall off his mount at the thought and his pony sidestepped, disturbed by its rider's sudden tension, bringing his attention to the animal.

"Men," she added with a smile. He looked her over from head to toe, but his eyes lingered a beat at her midsection. "I'm an alien, Fili, even if I share looks with people around here. My kind was never of the same line to begin with, therefore we couldn't have diverged." There was an edge to her voice, revealing that this was not something she wished to discuss with the blond heir. His mouth formed a firm line and he stared ahead, not missing the rebuke, and she sighed.

"Then again, I have no way of knowing if I'm truly different or not." In the corner of her eye she noticed Fili turning to look back at his brother. Her curiosity was tickled and she turned to catch the communication between the two brothers. Kili's smile had faltered and his expression was blank now, under the scrutinising gaze of his brother.

"I think it would be absolutely fascinating," Ori cut in shyly, with a slight smile. "Finding out about such things," he added.

"Dangerous, that's what it would be," Fili grumbled.

"Yes. It means you might have to re-evaluate a lot of things. Change opinions. A truly frightening prospect," Mari commented dryly, earning herself a pointed look from Fili.

The conversation died off and Mari sighed and squinted at the horizon. As far as her eyes could see the landscape rolled on in soft heaves, and she couldn't even spot the green tufts of leaves she had learned possibly could be a ravine with some water streaming at the bottom of it.

She missed sunglasses. She missed cars. The only good thing with travelling in this leisurely pace was that she still had time to think about the finer details of her plan, and she tried to remember that as she longed for air-conditioned car journeys with good speakers and digital distractions when not driving.

Her pony, a stubby palomino named Holly, was a gentle animal with an even temper, but the insects following them were not and she was bitten by horse-flies on a daily basis. Again she was the more sensitive one. Horse-flies didn't seem to find Dwarves very appetising, while Mari attracted a lot more attention. It probably would have helped to have worn more clothes, but on the other hand, she feared she'd overheat if she wore more. Glumly she slowly brushed away another horse-fly and sighed at the thin layer of red dust coating her skin.

At every opportunity she threw herself into water bodies large enough for doing so, but after an hour of riding she was covered in a new layer of dust, and as the day wore on it started to itch as it mixed with her sweat.

In total they were expected to be on the road for eight weeks until they reached Edoras. The caravan would continue south towards Gondor and Minas Tirith, but the company of five would stop in Edoras, stock up and then head out north. The stop on their journey after Edoras would be Lothlorien.

Fili and Kili were anxious to reach the Iron Hills by Yule, before winter set in in earnest. They would have to winter somewhere, and the Iron Hills was their preferred place to do so. Mari hadn't said anything about that plan, but she had a feeling the brothers were being too optimistic, something she eventually found Ori was in agreement on.

"We'll be lucky if we come as far as Lake-Town," he had sighed, as the topic had surfaced one evening. "I think we should stop in Lorien. I don't want to risk ending up in Mirkwood. . . " He shuddered.

"I don't think you'll be able to convince them," Mari mused, studying the two brothers on the other side of the fire, this evening assigned to cooking duty. It wouldn't be anything fancy, but it usually was quite tasty nevertheless. In particular Fili enjoyed spices, and she watched as he added a generous amount of some dried powdery substance which looked suspiciously a lot like chilli. Kili caught his hand and an argument broke out.

Ori threw the two Durin heirs a glance, noticing their bickering too. "No. They can be as stubborn as Thorin sometimes." A slight smile creased the corners of his eyes. Fili threw up his hands and put away the spices.

"They _are_ his nephews," she smirked, as the two continued to trade zingers. Suddenly Kili dropped his knife and lunged for Fili who made a hasty retreat, escaping unharmed, clearly having expected an attack from his younger brother. Kili stoically went back to the chopping he had been doing, while Fili taunted him, carefully moving back to his deserted position by the cauldron with a gleeful look on his face.

"They're supposed to die, aren't they?" Ori asked quietly as he followed the brothers' antics.

Mari's head whipped around and she stared at him.

"You've never said it outright, but. . . I can read between the lines."

She tore her eyes from him and stared at the ground in front of her. "If things had been allowed simply to progress undisturbed, yes it's likely, but it's impossible to say what will happen now. Things have been different from what I knew from the start, and. . . there's no way to tell what my presence is changing – or not changing."

He nodded. "Was I in that tale? I mean, more than just a mention that I exist?"

Her face lit up with a smile before she looked back at him. "Yeah." She nodded. "Yeah, you were. Almost as much as those two." Her eyes darted to Fili and Kili who were laughing at something, temporarily not fighting.

"So what do you think will happen then?" Ori prodded.

"I don't really dare to make any predictions. It depends on whether I can persuade certain key people to do things that are dangerous. If it were just a dragon, it would have been almost easy. Well. Not easy, but a nicely defined plan on a manageable scale. But what kills those two," her eyes were trained on the young men on the other side of the camp-fire, "and Thorin isn't a dragon. And it's no small matter to stop that from coming down on Erebor."

Ori stared at her and she could tell a shiver went up his spine.

"Galadriel. She's the key." Mari smiled. "If she is willing to listen, there is hope."

He all but imploded, his head sinking and shoulders hunching. "That's not going to work, is it?" he said with a sad and longing voice.

"I know what you think of her, and she's worthy of enormous respect, no doubt about it, but. . . " the corners of her mouth quirked upwards, "We'll see. You better stock up on paper and coal." Her smile widened and she nudged him with her shoulder. "We're going to an amazing place and you will want to record as much as you possibly can."

Ori couldn't help but smile in response. "Is it as beautiful as they say?"

"Yes. Yes, it definitely is," she confirmed with sincerity, though she was still smiling.

The caravan was a fairly large one, with about a hundred pack ponies and ten merchants, five guards and themselves. When Mari joined the train of animals and Dwarves slowly making its way south, habits had already been established, with the Longbeards bringing up the rear, and the others, Broadbeams all of them, dotted along the strung-out line of ponies. The positive aspect was a certain amount of privacy. They could chatter freely with each other and the slanted looks the Broadbeams aimed at Mari were kept at a minimum.

The drawback was the dust. The back of the train was inevitably the dustiest and she had begun using a handkerchief over her nose and mouth as they set in motion in the morning, before the line had stretched out and the ever-present wind scattered the worst dry dirt the hooves tore up. She was still coughing and sneezing though as soon as the wind abated, grumbling about dying before old age from silicosis, coughing up her lungs.

Real privacy was a thing of the past though. It was worse than in the winter they had lived through, in Mari's opinion. The many layers that had protected her against the elements had also given protection against people's scrutiny. Now everyone was constantly reminded about the fact that she wasn't a Dwarf. What the Broadbeams really were thinking she didn't know, but they were aware of her presence, that much was obvious. Not surprisingly, they were particularly guarded around Kili, but they threaded carefully around all of them. Fili and Kili ignored the situation like it didn't exist and Mari ascribed it to them not only being Longbeards, but also Thorin's nephews and his heirs. She realised she faced real privilege for the first time, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that. Naturally she had known, but it was different when actually getting a taste of it.

+.+.+

Carefully she slipped down on the ground. Slamming into the ground would make her feet ache after so many hours in the saddle so she had quickly learned to take it easy when dismounting. Before her feet found purchase, familiar hands wrapped around her waist, slowing her descent. With the turf under her soles the arms attached to said hands circled her body and pulled her into a tight embrace. Scratchy stubble brushed over her hair and she could tell the wearer was smiling, which didn't fail to put a smile on her face as well.

"Have to look after Holly," she reminded him.

Kili let her go and without a word he helped her take care of her pony. As the equipment and packs were stacked and ready for the morning departure, he caught her hand with a grin.

"Come on," he mouthed and set in motion, leading the way out of sight of the others. They had stopped at a slight depression in the rolling landscape, evidently with water near the surface as shrubs and even windswept trees had populated it. It was quick work to slip out of sight among the boulders and vegetation, but fairly soon Mari dug in her heels, pulling him to a halt.

"We can't go off too far or we'll be lost once it's dark," she warned.

"Don't worry. We camp here every time we pass. Good place. There's water in a spring just where we stopped and it's decent if one is hit with poor weather. Gives good shelter. I've scouted it many times so I know my way around," he replied with a grin.

She raised her eyebrows. "Is that so."

"Yes, it is." He closed the distance between them and slipped his arms around her.

"And you were intent on giving me a sightseeing tour, then, I suppose?"

"In a manner of speaking."

Mari huffed a laugh and buried her face in Kili's shirt collar. "This is a bit reckless," she murmured. "Funny I should say it, but we don't know if we're safe here."

He sighed. "Perhaps I got a bit carried away for a moment. But the prospect of having you alone with me for a bit. . . "

"Not that I don't understand," she cut in apologetically.

"But we both know better." He slowly pulled away. "Let's do some proper scouting first then." With a smile he set off again, keeping her hand in his.

...

"So tell me about Tharbad," she demanded, looking up at the evening sky where the first stars had become visible in the east.

"Fairly large town. It straddles the river Greyflood; divided in three parts, East bank, the Island and the West bank, linked by bridges. It's the only place where anyone can cross the river, which of course is the reason for its prosperity. We will need to pay a toll to pass." He lazily reached for something at his side and fished up a shirt, only to drop it again.

"Who lives there?" Glancing to her left, she watched his continued fumbling.

"Men mostly, but you find all sorts of people there. It's an important hub out here. It may not look like there are a lot of people living in these lands, and out here on the plains it's mostly nomads you find, and they aren't that many either. Along the river it's another matter." He dropped her shirt on her belly and kept searching the ground next to him.

"The merchants will most likely want to stop for a few days for a bit of business." The long piece of linen cloth she used instead of a bra these days landed on her belly next.

She raised her head and peered over his chest. "No sign of my shorts?"

With a snort he held up the cut off trousers in his hand. "I still can't believe you did this."

"Back home I'd use fewer clothes than I do here." Reaching out, she snatched them out of his hand. "The bloomers too?"

He handed her the short legged version in a thin linen fabric she had made sure to procure before she left the Shire.

"You should consider covering up when we enter Tharbad. It's run by Men and they would consider your way of dressing as offensive. You can show your arms, a deep cleavage and shoulders, but legs is a touchy matter."

"I have seen the looks. The Broadbeams aren't entirely comfortable with it either." She made a face.

"It's complicated. No, we don't dress the way you do, true, but it's not offensive as such. We're not bothered by the heat like you are. It's more about the differences between us which are so apparent when you wear the clothes you wear."

She closed her eyes and held back a sigh.

"They're just not used to meeting non-Dwarves."

With a snort she sat up and pulled the shirt over her head and then turned her head towards Kili, looking down on him where he was stretched out on the grass.

"They side-eye Gisla too, and she's definitely a Dwarf." Sticking her feet into the bloomers and pulling them up her legs, she continued, "Don't make excuses for their opinions and behaviour." Moving around, she got on her knees and pulled up the bloomers. She climbed to her feet and stepped into her shorts as well, then folded up her binder into a neat package.

Next to her Kili quickly dressed too, then reached for her. "Expect to find a lot of eyes on you when we enter Tharbad. Men's women don't dress like you at all, so even if you cover up, you will attract attention. Coming in company with us, even more so."

"It would be a good idea to enter after dark," she proposed.

"It would. Fili has already been making such demands."

She nodded and then smiled. "I hope you realise that this is the first real town outside of the Shire that I'm going to see."

"Bree is technically a town and outside of the Shire," he reminded her.

"A cluster of houses behind a wood palisade in imminent need of repair isn't my definition of a proper town."

"Tsk. Elitist. Making demands on poor towns to reach a certain standard to be recognised by the Lady Smith," he smirked.

She cracked a smile. "You don't like Bree much yourself."

With a quiet laugh he leaned in and caught her lips. "It always rains in Bree," he mumbled between kisses.

She hummed. "Right now I wouldn't mind some rain. A proper down-pour."

"It could wait until we're under a roof in my opinion." He released her and they began trekking back to the camp.

"It's hot and dusty. Cooling down and being washed off would be nice."

"We'll enter Tharbad in a couple of days. They have nice public baths there. I'll take you to one."

Even in the growing darkness, her smile was obvious. "I'll hold you to that."

+.+.+

In the flat landscape it was easy to spot Tharbad as they approached; its wall and roof tops were visible for many miles. As Fili had requested, they entered just after the sun had dipped below the horizon, and the narrow streets and alleys were quite dark as they slowly moved towards the part of town catering to travellers and caravans. Mari had put on her boots and her hooded cloak, arranging it over herself to hide as much as she could of her own person. It had caught the attention of some of the Broadbeams, but they hadn't asked about it.

They all helped storing the goods in the allotted warehouse and tending to the ponies. Within the hour they were finished, leaving them with the task to find shelter for themselves. Mari was astounded by the surroundings. Tharbad was not what she had expected. The district they were in had a series of squares, linked by reasonably wide streets, all lined with establishments for human and animal accommodation as well as warehouses, everything towering three or more stories above their heads. There naturally were plenty of alternatives for anyone hungry or thirsty, from large halls with long tables and benches, open to the street because of the warm weather, to tiny stalls in nooks and crannies, sometimes only with a keg of ale or a large cauldron over a tray of coals.

It was quite crowded. The last travellers were arriving for the night, while some, like themselves, were looking for a place to stay, and everywhere people were milling about, standing or even sitting on whatever they could find. It was well lit. The establishments themselves had lanterns, but the streets and squares had lanterns too. In the streets they were cleverly hung on the façades, and on the squares they were stuck on lamp posts.

Mari curiously peered at it all, keeping her hood up, not aware of the smile curving the corners of her mouth upwards. It had been such a long time since she had seen anything like this, and she had to admit that it was riveting. She had enjoyed the village life the Shire had offered, but this town had proper city vibes, and she was a city girl at heart after all.

Fili and Kili led them to a smaller inn on a side-street, away from the rowdier atmosphere closer to the squares. The room they were given was reached from an exterior corridor facing towards an inner yard, and had fairly large windows facing the street as well as six beds. It seemed clean and was reasonably spacious, hardly luxurious, but well furnished.

Kili stepped past her and gave her a nudge. "Be thankful it hasn't got bunk beds," he said with a grin and claimed a bed by dropping his pack onto it.

"Rest assured I would have been on a top bunk by now if that had been the case," she smirked and claimed the bed next to his. At his raised eyebrows she explained, "My grandparents used to rent a cabin in the mountains and we'd go there on holiday with them, mum and I. Small place, all rooms but one had bunk beds. There were usually a number of cousins and aunts and uncles too, and it was a mad scramble to claim the top bunks."

"And the room that didn't have bunk beds?" Ori asked.

"Double bed. And no one touched that. It was my grandparents' room. They were paying, after all." She smiled at the memory.

Fili claimed a bed and then quickly crossed the floor to the window, taking care to not let his shadow reveal his position. After having carefully studied the street outside, he turned back to the others.

"No gazing from the window. Close the shutters in such a way that you don't reveal yourselves. Take care as you step outside and keep an eye out for anyone following you. Be careful not get lost." His tone was commanding and his face grave.

"Yes dad," Mari mumbled under her breath as she opened her bag, picking up clean change.

Fili winced. "Mari, it seems safe, but we can't be certain."

She looked up at him and with a small sigh she gave him a tired smile. "Fili, you don't have to worry. I grew up in a town much larger than this, in one of the more busy neighbourhoods. Cities I understand. It was much harder to figure out the countryside and forests for me, than dealing with the dangers in a busy place like this."

He nodded slowly. "It's still a new place for you."

"It is. Which is why I have been as careful as I have been, keeping a very low profile." She raised her hand and patted him on his arm. "I'm in need of food, sleep and a bath, and not necessarily in that order. I'm sure we all do."

Kili slipped in behind her and put his hands on her shoulders and looked at his brother. "And I have a promise to keep. Unfortunately that will take us elsewhere for a while."

Mari turned her head to peer at him with a wide smile. "I like the sound of that," she grinned.

"By all means, go! Leave us!" Fili shooed at them dramatically, and then smiled. "We'll have one up waiting for you if you're late. The usual code."

Kili only continued to grin at Fili, pulled up the hood on his cloak and caught Mari's hand, leading the way to the door.

The bath house didn't look like much from the outside – an ordinary two-storey building in the common half-timbered style, lit in the usual manner. Only a hanging sign revealed this was in fact a bath house and its name. Inside it became clear this was a place for those who wished privacy. As they entered, they were instantly met by a young man with a large set of keys at his side and they were ushered further inside without questions. Within minutes they were in a fairly large chamber clearly meant for some serious cleaning. On their short walk they had only glimpsed a few other customers, but Mari had no doubt it was a busy evening based on the faint buzz of voices reaching her ears.

She took in the interior as Kili talked to the servant and settled the monetary part. Again it wasn't luxurious, but it was well kept, spacious, and comfortable – and it was pleasantly scented. Along one wall there were screens set up and as she peeked around them she realised there were in fact doors behind them, open to the inner yard which had been turned into a garden. It was simple, but it was done with taste, as with everything she had seen so far.

The door closed behind her and she turned and noticed they had been left alone.

"We have the place the entire evening if we wish," Kili said and unhooked the clasp on his cloak and took it off. "I also thought it would be a good idea to not have to think about food. I for one am hungry and don't feel like waiting for hours until I have anything to eat." With a grin he hung the cloak by the door.

"You can order supper to be brought here?" she asked.

"Anything. Doesn't matter what time of day, from light snacks to elaborate affairs with far too much to choose from." He toed off his boots.

"Good thinking." She nodded approvingly.

"Thought you'd not be opposed to the idea." He sank down on a bench and aimed his gaze at the room. "You can have help with the bath if you want to, a servant, massage. . . and the garden is not for rambling about in and they have people to make certain it stays private. Doors are locked and if you need something, you simply pull that string." He nodded with his head at a string by the door, disappearing into the wall just under the ceiling.

"Wow. It's fancier than it looks. I mean, it doesn't look lavish after all." She slowly walked back towards where he was seated and dropped down next to him, slowly taking off her boots as well.

He shrugged. "Looks can be deceiving. No, there are no gold and gems here, but everything is done with care."

She let her eyes slowly wander over the room again. "I always thought you'd actually prefer a more ostentatious kind of environment, if you could choose." Glancing at him she smiled. "Considering all the tales about the grandness in Erebor."

Kili breathed a laugh. "I'm quite certain Uncle does. On the other hand, he's careful to not raise people's envy, so while he does have a certain standard in Ered Luin, it's certainly not what it could have been, and most likely was, in Erebor."

"Fili and I didn't grow up with that. Mam cared about comfort and if you think about it, the forge is simply a Dwarven version of a comfortable Hobbit smial." He sighed. "I sometimes think it also was Mam's attempt at countering any of the madness my grandfather and great grandfather suffered from."

He motioned in the general direction of the room. "It's pleasant and private, meant to feel welcoming. I like it that way."

"I like it too." She smiled at him.

A simple supper arrived and after almost inhaling it, Mari scrutinised the place and the amenities until Kili grew tired of her meticulous inspection and convinced her to actually do what they had come for.

Though the part of town they were in wasn't as busy as when they had left their inn earlier in the evening, there were still plenty of people about when they headed back. Relaxed and tired, they didn't hurry, even if they didn't linger. They didn't talk, but used the wordless communication they had developed between them – a nudge, a raised eyebrow, smiles, a slight shake of the head – little things to convey their thoughts and observations.

As they turned into the street where their inn was located Mari suddenly realised they were being watched. A cloaked figure quickly withdrew in the corner of her eye, hiding in the shadows as she glanced in its direction. Slowly she reached out and took Kili's hand, which landed her a sideways glance. She slipped closer and breathed, "We're being followed."

Kili didn't turn to look, but pressed a kiss on her temple. "How many?" he asked.

"I only saw one." She left it unspoken that there could be others, anywhere, even on roofs, and that they could be ambushed at any moment. He already knew this.

Surreptitiously they scanned the street and the houses lining it as they pretended simply to show each other some affection, but neither could detect any danger. They slipped through the doors to the inn, but instead of heading to their room, Kili led the way to a staff door opening to a narrow alley. From the darkness in the alley they watched their shadow, now hiding in a deep doorway, attentively spying on the inn they were staying in.

"It's a Man," Kili whispered. "Let's surprise him a little." His eyes gleamed as he flashed white teeth at her.

"We need to know why he's been following us," Mari replied warningly.

He nodded. "For money?"

"Of course. But I want to know whose money."

Slipping out on the street behind a rickety wagon passing them, they made their way towards the cloaked stranger. As the wagon passed the hiding place opposite their inn, Kili was by the stranger with his sword tip pressed under the spy's jaw before the spy even reacted. Mari was right behind, stopping just within reach, keeping a keen eye out for any unsavoury defence attempts.

"How about you telling us why you followed us this fine evening?" Kili asked quietly, studying the stranger intently. He, because it was a young man, stared at Kili with eyes betraying his fear, then swallowed hard.

"Please don't kill me!" the young man whined.

"You know, it doesn't take much smarts to figure out that it may not be the best of ideas to take this kind of job," Mari said, tilting her head as she spoke. "People can become very nervous when they find out someone is shadowing them. We could have shot you dead with the bows we carry on our backs, no questions asked."

The young man's eyes nearly rolled back into his head.

"Love, don't frighten him more, if you please." Kili kept his tone jovial, pretending to admonish her at the same time as his eyes swept over the street.

"I'm simply teaching him a lesson in surveillance work. The downsides." She smirked.

"Now lad, why don't you simply tell us why you're here?" Kili raised his brow askance.

"P-People are i-interested in you," the young man breathed.

Kili nodded. "That I understood. It's the reasons I'm concerned about, lad."

The young man swallowed hard again, his eyes darting between them.

"You're a native, aren't you?" Mari asked.

The young man began nodding but stopped with a wince as the sharp tip dug into his skin.

"I'm quite sure your mam warned you to not mix with shady characters. But you're poor, and the money looked good, isn't that so?" she continued.

He whimpered.

"And you haven't been paid yet, have you?" She made a quick survey over the street as she waited for his response.

"No. . . " he whispered.

She sighed. "And you won't be either." Her voice betrayed her weariness. "You'll be dead before morning."

The young man's eyes bulged and he looked like he was going to wet himself. Kili watched the scene with interest, wondering what Mari had up here sleeve.

"Listen." She sheathed her sword, keeping her movements to a minimum, and dug out a small pouch, pouring out some of its content in her hand. Among the coins gems gleamed in the faint light and she picked up a couple of them. "See these? I know exactly what they can buy you. A farm upstream. A way out of the misery here, not to mention the mess you have created for yourself by taking this job."

The young man's eyes were the size of saucers now as he stared at the precious stones.

"My conditions? You tell us exactly who hired you, anything they said and any other details about them you can recall. Then you take your family and hide while we seek these people out. . . " She stepped closer, staring at him with cold eyes. ". . . and kill them. If you don't take this offer, we kill you and throw your body in the river."

If the young man could have, he would have backed through the wooden door he was pressing his back against.

"A fairly good offer, if I may say so," Kili piped up.

"Yes," the young man whispered.

"What was that? I didn't hear you." Kili pressed the sword tip harder against the skin.

"Yes!" the young man squeaked.

"Let us relocate to a less conspicuous location, shall we?" Kili continued and sheathed his sword too, then gripped the young man's arm in a vice like grip. "If you run, we'll use you for target practice. Now come along."


	3. Chapter 3

I'm going to remind you that it's worth looking into the appendix tag on the Tumblr blog _**Torunwrites**_ for all sorts of information that I'm not fitting into this story as such, and on occasion I'll slip a spoiler or two as well. I'm open to asks as well, if there's anything that is unclear. I'm tagging posts so if you're using xkit or the like you can easily avoid what you might not wish to read, and I put up warnings too.

+.+.+

_Tharbad and The Greenway, Minhiriath, June 2940 TA_

"What took you so long?" Gisla asked as she let Kili and Mari into the room they shared, at the inn located in the Merchant District of Tharbad.

"We ran into some interesting people," Kili said with false cheer, though at Mari's slanted look, the fake mirth disappeared.

After removing bow, quiver and cloak, Mari shuffled across the floor and dropped down on her bed, then slowly toed off her boots. Gisla watched her with increasing alarm.

"What happened?" she asked, crossing the floor as well, sitting down on Kili's bed opposite Mari.

Kili made a half-hearted attempt at following them but stopped half-way as Mari recapitulated the events. "We had a young man following us. We caught him and found out who hired him, went to see them and got rid of them. In the process we picked up a message we think is fairly important, though we can't read it. We'll hold on to it though, in case we run into someone who can."

"It's in Black Speech," Mari added with a toneless voice. "I think."

Gisla studied Mari for a while, processing what she had just learned. "You got rid of them?" she asked.

Mari raised her eyes and met Gisla's. "Yes." She waved at Gisla. "They were not the instigators, just. . . hang-arounds." She sighed. "Thugs are no different no matter where you are. You know what this reminds me of? Bikers. Hells, Bandidos, Outlaws. . . " Raising her eyes she paused, studying Gisla and Kili's blank faces. She drew a deep breath. Though she saw no point in explaining motorcycles, explaining the phenomenon as such seemed like a good idea.

"Bikers are. . . well, gangs. Involved in shady and illegal businesses. Anything really, though it goes without saying that the more profitable something is, the more likely you are to find their hands in that cookie jar. Drugs, extortion, trafficking. . . that'd be slaves, basically. They will go to great lengths to protect their interests and now and then wars between groups erupt. Nasty things. They all work the same though. At the top you have a club running the business, and they tend to hand out the more risky tasks to hang-around gangs hoping to become prospects and eventually official members. The blokes we stumbled over tonight gave me a distinct gang vibe, but they were not very chatty so we had to take them out before we learned anything useful."

Gisla drew a shaky breath. "You simply headed off on your own and took care of a deadly threat?"

"We didn't charge into anything blindly," Kili retorted defensively, shifting his weight. "We could handle it. And we did."

"Can we postpone the quarrel until morning?" Mari asked, shifting her gaze between Gisla and Kili. "I'm neither in the mood nor do I have the energy for it. I'm virtually falling asleep this instant."

Kili closed the distance to the bed, removed her pack from the foot end and gently helped her get out of her clothes before he pulled a sheet over her. She caught his hand as he straightened his back.

"Please. Don't go," she whispered, and stared up at him.

"I won't. I just need to wash myself before I sleep." He smiled at her and she let him go, closing her eyes.

Quickly he got rid of his weapons and cloak, and stepped over to the wash basin. Gisla trailed behind and came to lean against the wall watching Kili start washing his hands and face. Her mouth formed a firm line as she saw the water turn pink.

"Nothing I haven't done before," he said in a low voice as he noticed the look on her face.

"It's one thing defending yourselves against Orcs and Wargs when they attack. Did you just go in and. . . cut their throats?" Gisla kept her voice low and leaned in as she spoke, shooting Mari a brief glance.

"One of them came up from behind. Nearly skewered Mari." Kili's voice was without inflection. "The others were dead before they could do anything," he continued. "Her doing. Shot them on the spot."

"Mahal, Kili!" Gisla gasped, staring at him with wide eyes.

"I've had better nights on town," Kili said and wiped his hands and face on the linen towel next to the basin. "I'm thanking the Valar for the inches being in my favour this evening."

Gisla reached out and put her hand tentatively on his shoulder as if she expected him to flinch away, then tugged him in to rest her forehead against his. They stood for a long while like that, with Gisla lending her wordless sympathy and support.

"Go," she urged him as she slowly pulled away. He nodded and drew a shaky breath, turned and slowly made for the bed, tugging off the shirt and dropping it on the floor by the beds. Though he fumbled slightly, the trousers quickly followed suit and then he slipped into Mari's bed, wrapping his arms around her. Gisla watched them for a while before she sought her own bed, extinguishing the light.

+.+.+

"We can't let the two of you out alone even for a few hours without you ending up in peril, can we?" Fili sat with his feet propped up on a chair, balancing a mug of tea on his leg while he reached for another rusk, buttered it, and then took a crunchy bite.

He had awakened to the sight of Kili and Mari sharing the narrow bed Mari had claimed the evening before, and when he made a comment about it, his bleary-eyed wife had told him they nearly lost Mari the night before. It had stunned him into a frozen silence, until Ori had hauled him out of the room, leaving the remaining three to continue sleeping in peace, while they passed time wolfing down breakfast and watching people come and go. Well, Fili watched people coming and going, mulling over how to broach the subject once the others had risen. Ori silently devoted this time to his notebook, ignoring the signs that Fili was fretting.

"To be fair, we didn't plan it," Kili retorted warily. Mari didn't so much as look up at him, but sat staring at the simple breakfast in front of her.

"I don't want to you to face something like this alone in the future. None of us should." Fili allowed himself to reveal the complicated blend of love, fear and anger, for Kili to see. Though Kili didn't appreciate being mothered, he always accepted Fili's distressed care. He turned his eyes to Mari. "Just the thought of how close this was. . . " He sighed deeply.

Mari finally raised her gaze, looking pale and guarded. Like Kili, she didn't appreciate being coddled, but that didn't mean they shouldn't tell her they cared. He was again struck by how weak the link was that he had to her – illogically weak. It was simply not possible to communicate the same way with her as with the others and he didn't quite understand why. Though Kili and Mari had grown quieter with time, they still chatted much more than he and Gisla did, as if Mari simply didn't understand or see what was plainly obvious to the rest of them.

"I don't want to lose a sister," was the not-very-eloquent plea tumbling out of his mouth. It was the truth, though, one he'd stand by.

Her eyes went unnaturally large and Fili realised she was about to start crying. Not the effect he had been aiming for.

"Fili!" Gisla cut in sharply, glaring admonishingly at him. He looked helplessly at his wife.

"No, it's fine," Mari sniffled and put her hand on Gisla's arm, then gave Fili a watery smile. "Thank you."

Fili gave her a long look. Was it perhaps because he was Thorin's heir? He had seen a lot of odd behaviour in his presence over the years and he knew the relationship between Thorin and Mari was strained. And that was putting it mildly, from a Dwarven perspective. It could be why it was so difficult to find that natural closeness with her, that he had with the others. "The curse of being who I am. Easy to think I'm like my uncle," he sighed out loud.

"I don't," Gisla said curtly.

A real and mischievous smile lit up Fili's face as he turned to her. "Well, at least not in certain situations."

She aimed a rusk at him, which he dodged, while the others snickered quietly.

"It's not your uncle," Mari said with a low voice. "It's what you will become in time. Even if that's not your responsibility yet, you are expected to be prepared to shoulder that, possibly on very short notice, and you've always known this. If that didn't do something to how you think and act, it would be strange. And I for one expect it."

Kili and Fili glanced at each other. "Responsibility does not mean difficulty being close to family. You haven't seen the familial side of Uncle," Kili sighed. "Well, not much of it. He's never been much for very boisterous displays of affection, but he wasn't always as distant as he has been lately."

Mari's brow slowly climbed higher as she looked at Kili. "After I arrived in the Shire."

"It had already started when you came here. Not your doing." Fili shook his head at her.

She nodded and sighed. "No, that was a bit. . . pretentious." With her index finger she traced the rim of her mug, round and round, lost in thought.

"So. . . these people you encountered last night, is that threat eliminated, or should we look for a hasty departure?" Ori asked, bringing the discussion back to the more pressing issue at hand.

"I don't think we need to leave Tharbad this instant, but we should be observant." As Kili spoke he leaned over the table and picked up the teapot and poured himself another mug of the golden beverage. "I think they were mercenaries. Bounty hunters. I'm fairly certain the message we snatched up will confirm this. We need to stay alert no matter where we are in the future."

Fili's expression darkened and he started looking downright morose. Kili threw him a cursory glance and picked up his mug after setting the teapot back on the table.

"And of course, scout the camp-sites thoroughly," he added.

"Which you didn't do the other day when we stopped and you disappeared for a while," Fili retorted in a clipped tone.

Kili leaned his elbows on the table and held the mug with both his hands, focussing on the lukewarm beverage in his mug.

"Believe it or not, we did scout the surroundings quite meticulously. First." He slowly sipped his tea.

"And it's not like you did a sweep to make certain nothing was lurking somewhere," Mari needled Fili. "Or you would have known where we were."

Fili sent a glare her way, clenching his hand into a white-knuckled fist.

"Come off it. I'm not guilt tripping you here. We did what we had to and all is well," Mari sighed, and looked at Kili, who steadily returned the gaze.

"Conclusion, no immediate threat," Gisla interrupted. "Good. We have a few days here still, though, and we need a few things, provisions not least. I say we concentrate on that for now. We can always go back to sulking around a table if we have time to spare."

Mari snorted and sent an amused glance at Gisla, who smirked back.

...

They divided the tasks between them and headed out into the busy streets, split up in two groups. On Fili's request he and Mari formed one, and Gisla, Ori and Kili made up the other. In mild confusion, Mari watched the others march off before she turned towards Fili.

"Keep up!" Fili called out to her, and she hurried her steps to do so. The street was fairly active and as they closed in on the nearest square, it became downright crowded. Horses and ox-pulled carts and wagons with or without canvas, reminding her of archaic images from the Wild West, occupied the middle of the street while pedestrians wisely kept closer to the walls of the buildings.

There were wooden walkways on the larger streets for those traversing the town on foot, which she assumed was much needed the moment it started to rain. It had the added benefit of keeping traffic separated, though she found the elevation a bit exaggerated. Being vertically challenged made it something of an endeavour to brave the walkways when they were this crowded, but on the whole it was acceptable, even if she had a vague feeling of being eight again.

"I have realised you need to learn a few things," Fili exclaimed as he lead the way, with Mari trotting half a step behind, keeping an eye on the big folk, as a Hobbit would have said. "Complacency will not serve us in the long run, and you must become used to dealing with a lot of things you haven't previously before we reach Erebor," he explained, keeping the tone light.

"Not just fighting?" she asked with a smile.

"That will keep you alive and breathing, which is a basic requirement if you're ever to make it to the destination." He threw her a quick look and a grin. "But once we're there, other skills will be required. Perhaps you'll need them before we even get there."

"So this is Fili's tried and tested political science studies? Isn't Ori's book enough? I have read it quite thoroughly, you know." Her smile was easy enough, but there was something watchful in her eyes.

"Ori gave that book the correct title – an _introduction_. You'll need more. A lot more. _I_ am waging on your being accepted eventually. And you'll not marry just anyone, Mari, but the second heir to the throne, a prince." The jovial smile never left his lips though he gauged her reaction in the corner of his eye. To his surprise she nearly deflated.

"You wager. . . " she started saying, and then chuckled, but it had no mirth in it. "The perks of knowing you'll eventually be the one giving the orders."

"Something like that," he agreed carefully as he tried to make sense of the tone of her voice. "Though I think my uncle will agree to it."

"To be honest, I try not to think about that. About you being royalty, I mean." There had come a tension over her frame he hadn't seen before and she looked uncomfortable.

Fili's buoyancy faded. "Though I appreciate the fact that you're not concerned with status and accumulation of possessions, it also means you have a tendency to shy away from things you _must_ deal with henceforth. Once this is all over, it will be part of your everyday life, and while there will be private moments and doors that can be shut, you can't escape the responsibilities that come with the status you'll have."

Ducking her head, the seconds stretched into strained silence. As he was about to speak up again, she finally nodded. "Yes, I understand," she sighed. "I know nothing about such things."

His smirk was back on his face. "Well, your behaviour reflects back on me, so it needs to be remedied," he teased. Just in case he threw her an assessing glance, which she met with a smirk of her own.

"Of course, your highness," she replied with mock sincerity.

He quickly dug his elbow into her ribs, to which she replied by crashing into him, hip first, sending him momentarily stumbling to his left. They grinned at each other and continued onwards.

"Firstly, Men don't care for us. Though the Elves are arrogant and don't hesitate to let us know what they truly think of us, they do at least acknowledge us. Oddly enough, they are capable of showing some sort of manners, something a vast majority of Men seem incapable of. This means we avoid buying from Men and turn first to friendly businesses."

"Friendly businesses? You mean Dwarven businesses?"

"Of course," he nodded.

"There's just one problem here. I'm not a Dwarf. You are and probably are recognised too, but I look like a Man, even if I'm smaller than most." Mari quickened her pace as they rounded a corner and she had to dodge a wheelbarrow.

"True. But you forget something. The pattern my brother so cleverly came up with, the one you have on everything, speaks loudly to any Dwarf. It reveals exactly what you are, in particular, in combination with the braids in your hair."

"And people really would care about that?" She couldn't keep the doubt from her voice.

"They better, or they will answer either to me or my brother." Fili almost growled the words and he flashed a scowl at the surroundings. "We shall see. I'm going to let you do the talking anyway."

There was a lot of staring, hemming, and humming, though Mari managed to coax the Dwarves they encountered into selling her the goods they needed. It was clear, though, that it all would have been a much easier process if Fili had dealt with them. When he was spotted by the craftsmen and merchants, they were quick to finish their business and begin to grovel, which didn't go down well with the heir. One of the few who wasn't fidgety, snickered as he detected Fili leisurely leaning against the wall outside. Fili smirked back at him. He turned back to Mari and gave her a once over with a knowing look.

"Give Kili my regards," he said jovially.

"How would you know. . . ?" She furrowed her brow at him.

"You come here with him," the craftsman glanced at Fili, "wearing such a pattern, particular braids, _and_ that bow on your back?" He smirked and nodded at the recurve bow peeking up over her shoulder.

"As I'm a well-informed individual I happen not only to know our heir here is married but who he married, which means the only other alternative is his brother. Of course another archer would turn out to be his One, even if she's not. . . one of ours." With a shrug he continued, mumbling under his breath, "Which isn't that unusual anymore."

He turned sharply towards Fili. "Watch yourselves. All sorts of unsavoury characters are out and about. Not so much Orcs and Goblins, but Men, driven into desperation by the long winter. They can be bought for just about any purpose and don't much care who they serve."

"As we have already discovered," Mari murmured, squinting with her eyes, not really ready to deal with the events the evening before just yet.

The craftsman sighed and nodded. "Expect more to come. Mind you, I don't know anything specific. I just hear some talking here and there."

Fili nodded slowly and reached for his pouch but the craftsman made a negative gesture. "No. I will not charge an heir of Durin for a plain warning."

"You have my thanks," Fili said sincerely.

"You're welcome." With a nod he went back to his work and Fili and Mari continued onwards.

...

"Please tell me Kili didn't do it on purpose," Mari said after a while.

"How do you mean?"

She tilted her left shoulder so the bow and quiver was clearly visible to him. "Why he insisted on the bow?"

Fili sighed and smiled slightly. "While he generally will favour and defend his main choice of weapon, no, his insistence you should favour it too was based on logic. You lack height and weight and should avoid hand-to-hand combat. I was in complete agreement with him on this."

"But he did come up with the personal pattern."

"Yes. Yours and ours are similar to each other, but if it's anyone's pattern it really resembles, it would be our mother's. It links you to her, though not as blood relation. Fitting, in my opinion." He studied her for a moment. "Why does it irk you?"

Mari's shoulders sagged minutely and her eyes found the ground just before her feet. "It's almost like an instinct for me. I sometimes feel branded and I don't appreciate feeling like I'm someone's. . . property. Kili and I have had this discussion already and I understand it's different for you, but it's not that easy for me to get used to."

Fili slowed his pace until they came to a halt at the entrance to a quiet alley where they were relatively undisturbed by the bustle around them.

"We grow up thinking we're one whole person as we are. If we're lucky we find someone we fit with, but that person does not merge with us, they simply share everyday life with us. I don't own his soul and vice versa. Except. . . I really do own Kili. But he will never own me, because I can never have that. . . physical connection. I'm incapable of forming one." Mari studied Fili intently.

His jaw dropped, and he stared at her in disbelief.

"You didn't know, did you? Just how different we are? We are very different. Every day we both have to remember how different we are. It has become easier, but it still makes me uneasy when I feel like my own self is slipping away from me, like just now, because of that simple comment."

Fili's eyes strayed away from her, landing on a couple of kegs stacked on each other, as he processed what she had told him. It was so easy, he realised, to forget that she wasn't like them. He had long since ceased to actually see the things setting her apart. With Elves and Men, and even the Hobbits, it was easier. The former had the height while the Hobbit's oddness from the knees on downwards was hard to ignore.

But something about her choice of words grated on him. Branded. Property. And the look on her face as she spoke of it.

"I sense there's something more to this," he said and looked back at her.

Mari nodded. "Our history has been the history of blokes. My female ancestors were basically possessions, their lives regulated with such detail, making it abundantly clear they had no rights at all. Women were completely in the hands of fathers, brothers, and husbands. Only as a widow could we enjoy some kind of freedom, but some cultures demanded that the women died with their husbands." She pulled a deep breath. "It's revolting just thinking about it."

Fili sighed and put his hand on her shoulder, pressing it lightly. "I hope you understand it's not our way to treat women like that."

A quick smile lit up her face. "I know. And as I said, I understand the physiology behind your reactions and traditions, and it's not the same. But I have some demons to fight here."

"I'm not unaware of the ways of Men. What you describe seems quite close to the reality here in Middle Earth. It's just that. . . the way you generally act and what you have told us of your past, I didn't expect your people's history to be so similar to the ways of Men here. Barring any actual differences in basic functions, I did not realise. . . " His voice tapered off. "It explains a lot that I didn't understand." And it did.

He suddenly realised why it was so difficult to find the common ground he had with the others and why Thorin and Mari were at odds the way they were. She could not see beyond his uncle's shell and as she was unable to forge the attachments they did, she lacked the insights into much of their behaviour and reactions, something that might have helped, at least somewhat.

For all the time he had known her, he had learned more in a few morning hours about the woman his brother loved than he had up until that point. A small smile played on his lips as he considered these new insights. Her nudging him slightly brought his attention back to her.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked. "You're smiling."

"Oh, I was simply amused by your reserve. It seems familiar, somehow."

Mari rolled her eyes, but couldn't hold back a small smirk. "Ah, you and your clandestine ways. Of course you'd not be put off by some reticence."

"Hardly. One more place, then we're done for now," he declared and headed back into the street, making certain she joined him.

"Good. I was becoming quite tired of this," she sighed as she followed.

+.+.+

Mari didn't look back as they slowly left Tharbad behind, once more setting out for the south on the Greenway. Aside from the fact that she felt like someone was watching her at all times, the days prior to leaving had been a struggle as she found herself becoming Fili's de facto assistant and secretary. He had unnerved her with his attention and his attempts at adjusting to the things he had learned about her. On top of this, he had decided she needed to learn Khuzdul.

Ori had made huge eyes as Fili had announced his decision, and Mari had squirmed, shooting him dark looks. Gisla had immediately picked up on Mari's discomfort and gently prodded Fili to temper his commanding attitude. Kili quietly reminded his brother of Mari and Thorin's quarrels, where she refused simply to be ordered around.

"I may have put braids in her hair, but she's not one of our folk," he pointed out.

Fili looked over at Mari, who mulishly looked back at him, and he barked a laugh, startling them all.

"I apologise," he finally said, shaking his head. "I think it's important for you to at least learn some rudimentary Khuzdul. It's not a decision like any other, to allow a non-Dwarf to learn our language, but I'm claiming the right to make that decision. The commanding tone is not aimed at you, Mari, but at the others. I don't want any arguments over this." He turned his eyes to Ori and gave the mild mannered Dwarf a long look. Having glared at Ori long enough, he turned back to Mari and grinned.

"And that look you just gave me?" His eyes quickly darted to Kili. "You two are quite alike in some ways. Some of the deadliest glares ever seen come from you two," he chuckled.

And just like that, Khuzdul had been added to the curriculum. Mari secretly dubbed Fili Mr. Taskmaster.

"We have about three weeks until we pass the Gap of Rohan. And after that? Many months on horseback until we reach the Iron Hills, not to mention our final destination!" Fili declared cheerfully as they stopped for luncheon on the first day after setting out again. "Imagine how bored you'd become if you didn't have anything to do!"

"About as bored as I was before we reached Tharbad?" she replied glumly.

"Precisely!" he exclaimed, grinning widely with all his dimpled charm.

"Are you sure you're not the one who is bored?" she asked, to which he simply laughed.

"You'll see. Within a week you'll thank me," he retorted and handed her a piece of bread and some soft white cheese.

As the boredom of the great Dunland plain set in, she grudgingly found herself appreciating having something more substantial to do, in particular since it chased away the gloomier thoughts of the future.

Eventually the Misty Mountains became visible, slowly growing closer with each passing day. They were a reminder of one individual she would prefer not meeting if she could help it – Saruman.

It was a ridiculous idea that she needed to be concerned. He was most likely sitting in his tall tower mulling over something he considered actually worthy of his attention, completely unaware of her existence. There was a small chance he'd heard of Fili and Kili, but even that seemed far-fetched. The wizard in Isengard most likely had his nose in a book or whatever White Wizards did with their time. Just as well, she decided.

They camped by the Fords of Isen, on the eastern shore, after they had crossed the river. It was a wooded area, quiet, with fine-grain sand on the banks contributing to the almost-quaint atmosphere. Sitting on the turf edge with her feet on the sand, she couldn't see the mountains, and most definitely not Orthanc, for which she was thankful.

Even if she couldn't see the great tower built at the foot of the Misty Mountains, she still glanced in its direction every now and then, lost in thought – this evening being no different. Her ears picked up on footsteps approaching, from feet belonging to someone who didn't intend to hide his presence. She peeked over her shoulder and spotted Kili heading towards her, carrying this evening's meal in his hands.

Settling down next to her he handed her a bowl with a stew, which she accepted with a small smile. They ate silently for a while, both content with the solitude.

"It's nice seeing something other than the vast plains for a change," Kili finally said.

Mari nodded slowly as she chewed. "Pity so much death will happen here," she replied solemnly.

Kili's spoon stilled and he turned to stare at her.

"Many decades from now. Those people aren't yet born," she added and scooped up some stew.

"I have been thinking," she continued after swallowing some more spoonfuls of stew, "I never understood why I came here and why I was altered. Well, I woke up shorter anyway." A brief smile quirked the corners of her lips.

"The good thing has been that I blend in better. I would have been short for a Man, standing out for that reason, but I would have been too tall for the shorter kind of people living here, like you or the Hobbits. It kind of makes sense that I shrank. However, that leads to the question, is my presence here a mere coincidence? Was I brought here, or did I somehow. . . make all of this come true myself?" She waved at the river and the trees around them with her spoon.

"I'm very much alive thank you very much. And I have been the past seventy-six years too, of which I remember the majority," Kili retorted dryly.

A knowing smile spread over her face. "But _I_ don't actually know this, and unless _I_ can prove your existence, you could still be a figment of my imagination – or this could be the Matrix, the Middle Earth edition. I can't trust anything anyone says to me."

He looked puzzled, and dropped the spoon in his bowl slowly. "Matrix?" he said.

"It's from a story in my world. We could potentially create a reality that doesn't exist other than in our minds, using the technology we have. Just imagine if all of this were just a dream, created by someone else," she explained and then shook her head. "Perhaps it doesn't matter if something is real or not, as long as it feels real, but that of course depends on the purpose of creating a fake reality."

Kili gazed at her with his brow slightly furrowed.

Mari smiled mildly at him. "Philosophical questions. Sometimes difficult to wrap your head around, but think about it for a while. Would it matter? Would it be wrong? And why would it be right or wrong?"

He drew back slightly and his puzzled eyes drifted towards the sand and water and she could see the wheels turning in his head.

"But to be honest, I think it's real. It's something odd about all of this though, and travelling through here has made me think about it a lot." Another spoonful of the stew made it to her mouth.

"Why this place?" he asked and refocussed on her.

She swallowed and nodded upstream. "There's a tower up there. I'm sure you've heard of it."

"Vaguely remember something about it." He shrugged.

She arched her eyebrows at him. "Saruman the White, does that ring a bell?"

"One of the wizards, yes." It was difficult to determine if he really was uninterested or if he was trying to hide that this was something he hadn't paid much attention to while growing up, even though he should have.

"Orthanc is Saruman's humble abode. Important fellow; wizard yes. Not just any wizard, but the head of the Istari, and also one member of the White Council, of which also Gandalf is a part, as are Lady Galadriel and Lord Elrond."

He paused the spoon on the way to his mouth and darted a look at her. "Why would passing Isengard bring up these thoughts?"

For a while she made patterns in her stew, trying to find a simple way to explain. "The Istari are. . . servants of the Valar. You think of the Valar as gods. I don't know what they are or exactly what they are capable of but. . . " She sighed. "I'm here, am I not? Clearly altered. Not just anyone can accomplish something like that. Though I haven't got the slightest idea why, I suppose there is a reason why all of this is happening. The only ones I can think of who could accomplish something like this would be the Valar. It seems though that it's up to me to figure out what I'm supposed to do here."

Her eyes drifted upwards. "I don't think I'm the only one. I wonder who they could be, but it seems I'm not supposed to find out. There's so much that I don't understand about this."

She looked back down into her bowl. "I doubt I'll ever find out everything, but I would appreciate gaining a bit more insight." Slowly she continued to eat.

"And what if someone finds out about you and why you're here?" Kili asked, definitely concerned now.

"Depends on whom. I don't fear Galadriel for instance." She smiled reassuringly. "And I'm small, nothing special, not even magical. I should slip under the noses of practically everyone."

He ate quietly for a while, as he eyed her. "You could already be discovered. We never did find out why those Men were so interested in us."

"The message will reveal that in time. Right now, though, my bet is that it's you they were after. It's drawing close, you know. Things are stirring."

A shiver went up his spine. "The way you say it. . . "

"It frightens you?" She smiled mirthlessly. "Good." With a slight shake of her head she continued, "This reminds me of a conversation I had with Gisla once. Almost a year ago. I alarmed her as well."

"You want us to take it seriously, the threats we're facing," he nodded.

"Yes, I do," was her simple reply, which she didn't elaborate on.

...

They finished their meal in silence, washed their bowls and utensils in the river and then headed back to the camp. As the last strip of light disappeared in the west, they settled down for the night in their bedrolls, gazing at the stars in the firmament above.

"We're soon in Edoras," Kili murmured. "The weather is holding so we'll make it within a week."

Mari didn't immediately respond, which prompted him to turn his head to look at her. She breathed deeply and then glanced at him.

"It shouldn't feel like such a watershed, but it does. We still have about a month after leaving Edoras until. . . "

"Lothlorien," he whispered and turned his head back to look up at the stars.

"It's so important," she sighed.

"Fili is anxious and doesn't wish to stay longer than absolutely necessary."

"It will have to take the time it takes. If we don't have the Elves in Lorien on our side, the consequences may be dire. I doubt king Thranduil is open to any suggestions of mine."

"We're hard-pressed for time. Winter dictates what we can do." He tried to sound casual about it, but he was utterly failing.

"So it has nothing to do with, well, Elves? And not just any Elves but High Elves and a certain lady your lot tend to be wary of?" She glanced at him and saw him squirm.

"I'm torn," he admitted. "You must understand what it was like growing up with Uncle and Dwalin. They abhor Elves. It's a passionate hate. Mam is not at all like that, and she did curb the worst of it, but we still got to hear enough. I'd not say Fili shares their opinion, but he will always be wary, bordering on distrustful. Some will probably forever be on the list of people never to trust or forgive."

"Thranduil." She paused. "Legolas?" she asked.

"Who?"

"Thranduil's son."

Kili snorted. "Like father like son."

"Not always. And people are capable of change you know. Even Elves." She gave him a genuine smile that made him pause.

"I take it he will change, judging by the look on your face."

"Neither confirming nor denying," she replied lightly with a smirk.

"You tease!" Reaching out, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight embrace with an exaggerated growl, restricting her movements and making her wheeze slightly as she giggled.

"Kili! Stop it!" she squealed as she unsuccessfully attempted to escape.

Snickering he loosened his grasp though he didn't let her go completely. "You drive me up the wall sometimes when you turn furtive like that!"

"I thought you of all people would have an easier time with that."

"I was never one for secrets. I honour our own. . . well, for the most part. Perhaps not so much with you. At all actually." He sighed. "No, I prefer when I don't have to think about what I can and can't say."

She wiggled around to find a more comfortable position. "Trust me, you don't want to know if you find it difficult to keep things to yourself."

For long moments he was silent, and she tried to pull back so she could look at him, but he wouldn't let her. "I have already concluded I'm supposed to die. Fili too, isn't he?" He sighed. "And Uncle. . ."

Mari's breath hitched and she stiffened at the sudden change of direction their conversation had taken.

"I'm walking right into it, even if I have gathered that this isn't the way it's supposed to happen, am I not? I might never see Legolas change. Nor learn what it is in Mirkwood you fear so much." He sighed wistfully.

"But I trust you, love. With my life," he murmured with a warm voice. He kissed her hair and then snuggled closer.

She ran cold. "You shouldn't do that," she managed.

"Why?" He sounded genuinely confused.

"Because I have to make decisions based on the good of everyone. I may be faced with a very difficult choice. If saving you means this world will burn, I can't do it."

He repositioned them and their eyes met, and he gave her a small smile. "I know. Which is why I trust you with my life. You'll do what you think is the better thing, not just for yourself." His smile faltered. "I can't imagine what it would be like to have to make such a decision and watch it happen. You're brave to even think you can."

Panic rose and gripped her throat so hard she felt like she was suffocating. All her fears came crashing down on her and her eyes widened in distress.

"Mari, are you well?" he asked, looking concerned.

Of course I'm not, you oaf, she wanted to shout at him. How could she be at the thought of what was at stake? On impulse she started thrashing around, freeing herself from the blanket and his arms. Startled, Kili didn't attempt to hold her back but instantly let her go, staring incredulously at her. She froze for a moment, staring back at him, panic still surging through her system screaming at her to run and hide. She could not do this. Whatever madness that had compelled her to think she could and should act in any way, it had to end.

Kili reached for her and absently she noticed just how strong he'd have to be to move the way he did, as it looked like he was defying gravity – a silly thought that distracted her for a second. She knew just how strong he was by now after all. The spell was broken as his fingers wrapped around her wrist and she yanked back, only to realise she was captured in a vice-like grip. Like an animal stuck in a leg-hold trap, she struggled to free herself, darting desperate and frenzied looks at the dark surroundings.

"Mari, you can't run. I won't let you." Kili's voice was alarmed though firm and he somehow had managed to sit up, while retaining his grip on her. With unexpected speed and force he pulled her wrist towards him which made her fall in his direction. Before she could catch her balance he had wrapped his arms around her, gathering her as close to himself as he could while subduing her flailing limbs.

"Listen Mari. You can't see properly in the dark. You don't have clothes on. No weapons. Not to mention you shouldn't go off alone. Please, calm down," he hurriedly said in her ear. "I won't allow you to endanger yourself like that."

"What's going on?" the alarmed and suspicious voice of Fili asked.

Mari stopped fighting and began crying instead, whimpering as she hung her head. She was truly pathetic. Kili was absolutely right and she was an idiot. An embarrassing idiot. If this wasn't proof enough of her stupendous derangement, she didn't know what was.

She heard shuffling and voices, such as Kili quickly trying to give some account of what had happened and Fili's short questions, until Gisla cut them both off and told them to shut up. Her strong hands gently pushed the hair out of Mari's face and cradled it, nudging her to raise her head. Unwillingly Mari opened her eyes and met Gisla's very concerned gaze. Mari's vision blurred as tears overflowed her eyes and streamed down her cheeks, and she closed them again.

Gisla sighed and scooted closer, wrapping her arms around both Mari and Kili, leaning her head against Mari's. She didn't say anything more but simply sat there, holding them while letting Mari cry. From somewhere something made of linen materialised, wiping her face and she was quietly asked to blow her nose. Ori, she realised, and she did as he asked.

Slowly the tears started to ebb and the panic vanished, leaving her completely drained, like she had been running for miles. Still Gisla simply held on, not pressing the matter and apparently Kili decided to follow her lead, as he stayed quiet too. With a deep breath Mari moved her head slightly, fighting the heavy feeling making her mind seem dull and her skull weighing a lot more than it should. Gisla unhurriedly sat back, letting go, and Mari felt the linen cloth against her face again. When she tested Kili's grip on her arms he slackened his grip enough for her to free them and reach for the rag and hold it by herself. He didn't let go of her though. Shifting himself and her around a bit he still enveloped her, holding her tightly.

"Do you want something to drink?" she heard Fili ask and she finally pried her swollen eyes open. She nodded in reply and within seconds she had a mug in her hands.

"I panicked," she rasped out. "I didn't mean to cause such a scene. . . I'm sorry."

Kili sighed and kissed her hair again. "I sincerely apologise Mari. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," he murmured.

"Some bloody expectations, to say the least," she breathed.

"I think you need to tell us what happened, because this is not making any sense," Fili interrupted.

"Temper, love," Gisla said gently.

Kili quietly repeated the conversation, then turned to Mari. "Fear is good. It makes you think. It shouldn't rule you, but the day you don't feel fear, is truly a day to dread."

A strange strangled sound had her looking to her side, where Fili sat staring at his brother in astonishment. She turned her attention back to the mug in her hands.

"I just don't know what I'm doing. I sort of have a plan, yes, but it could. . . fail. And I could get you killed along the way. By taking you along with me, the chances are Thorin might end up in a situation where he's killed. And what if what I'm doing sets something in motion that I could never foresee that is much worse? It's impossible to think of everything and every possible outcome. I could bring so much death and destruction down on everyone. . . "

Kili pressed his lips against her temple, tightening his grip on her again.

"Mari," Fili slowly interjected, "We're all capable of doing that. Remember that Kili and I, along with Ori, were supposed to join Thorin. Even if we had done so now, it's quite possible we could have acted in ways that could have altered the course of events in unpredictable ways. Even if we don't do anything, that could change things. What if we had stayed at home? What then? That was an option too. Maybe that would have made it even worse. We have no way of knowing."

"It's not on your shoulders alone," Ori added quietly. "There are many who could do much more, and probably will, and you can't control them. You do what you think is right. It's the only thing you can do."

Gisla found her hand and pressed it tightly. "We're here. No matter where this takes us. We help each other."

Mari nodded mutely, unable to find any words for what she felt.

"Are you hungry?" Kili asked. At Fili's raised eyebrow he scowled. "What? No one sleeps well on an empty stomach!"

Smiling tiredly she shook her head. "No, I'm fine. Thanks though." She threw a look at Fili. "He's right, you know."

Fili rolled his eyes, but grinned. Before he rose he leaned forward and tugged her into a tight hug. "Sleep well." With a long look at Kili, which she couldn't begin to decipher, he got on his feet and headed off to his bedroll.

"Fili," Kili called out after him and the older brother turned towards them. "You could. . . You know. . . " Kili motioned lamely at him.

With a quick knowing smile, he gathered his bedroll and carried it over to where Kili and Mari had laid out theirs. Gisla and Ori followed suit and soon they were all settled, closely together. Mari, Gisla and Ori quickly fell asleep, but Fili could tell Kili was still awake, though he wasn't tossing and turning as usually was his habit when sleepless. Fili reached out across Mari's sleeping form between them and found one of Kili's hands and squeezed it gently. His brother sighed and pressed it back.

"I'm glad you're here," Kili whispered.

"Where else would I be?" Fili replied with a smile.

Kili snorted quietly and shifted around, pushing Fili's arm back. For a moment Fili was vaguely hurt, before he realised what Kili was doing; repositioning himself and Mari so he could have a hold on them both. Fili closed his eyes still smiling, putting his hand over Kili's, now resting on his shoulder.


	4. Chapter 4

When it rains it pours - and we jump in time in this chapter. Make it a habit to note the date and location when you read. Enjoy.

+.+.+

_Erebor, the royal wing, 2941 TA, November 14__th__, 21 days after Smaug's death_

Thorin was stretched out on the bed, sleeping soundly, as Mari entered the room and slowly closed the door behind her. For a while she simply stood with her back against the door studying him, wondering how it would all end. Now, as they had arrived at this point, she realised she was afraid, mostly of failing.

She was oddly embarrassed too. It felt far too intimate for her to be in the same chamber as this man as he slept, defenceless and vulnerable. With anyone elsein the family it would have been perfectly fine, but Thorin had always kept his distance and she had never succeeded in winning him over.

They were capable of epic quarrels, but a pat on the shoulder was as close to any appreciation or friendliness Thorin had shown. She herself would usually stick to waving a greeting at a distance of several yards. Despite the situation, it made her smile slightly. He was _the_ patriarch, and she didn't know how to handle such men, even if they happened to have become, basically, family. He obviously didn't know how to handle her either. They could argue and roar at each other though, so somehow there was a measure of trust between them. Well, not with the Other, of course.

With a sigh she quietly padded over to his bed to check on him. Dead to the world in drug-induced sleep, he seemed to be doing well enough she decided. She made herself comfortable just out of reach in an armchair and opened the book she had brought.

It was a long day. She read, threw bog blocks on the fire every now and then, ate a bit when a guard stopped by with a simple lunch. Every hour she got out of the chair to stretch her legs and lift the skin from the embrasure and allow fresh air to wash over her. Thorin slept calmly and heavily during the morning and well into the afternoon, when he slowly began moving more, unmistakably dreaming from time to time.

Eventually the thick volume sank into her lap as she leaned her head against the backrest, and she stared at the bare wall behind Thorin's bed, allowing her mind to wander. She wondered how the others were doing and what happened outside this closed-off section. It was so still and quiet here, like nothing else existed. The fading light seeping through from under the skin covering the opening in the wall told her it was mid-afternoon. She closed her eyes and smiled at the thought of Kili, who, hopefully, would turn up soon.

She woke with a start and as she straightened and looked around, her breath caught. On the bed sat Thorin, studying her. He had been awake for a while because his eyes was clear and alert. The book slipped from her lap and her clumsy attempt at stopping its flight failed. It hit the stone with a muffled thud. With a sigh she unfolded her legs, set her feet down on the floor and bowed down, retrieving it.

"So you've been banished like I have." Thorin's voice was like gravel.

Mari sat back up. "I have chosen to be here myself."

"Don't lie to me," he ground out.

She nailed him with her eyes, making certain it was clear she was absolutely sincere. "You don't think anyone could consider being here now, at your side, without being forced?"

His eyes flickered for a moment before he slowly bowed his head, averting his gaze.

"Well, I can. And I'm here and I intend to stay." Just to annoy him and to make a point she wanted to inch the chair closer, but she decided not to. Don't push it, she chided herself.

At his continued silence, she put the book to the side on a small table and leaned forward, studying him. "Are you hungry?" she asked. He snorted scornfully. "I am, so I'm going to ask for supper."

She pushed herself out of the chair and went to the door and opened it. Peeking outside she spotted one of Dwalin's men standing by the opposite wall. At the sight of her he quickly came to life and headed over to her, betraying his concern plainly.

"He's awake and I think some food would be a good idea," she said with a reassuring smile. "Send a message to Fili that he's awake and doing well, will you?"

He smiled back at her. "Will do, lass," he replied and hurried down the corridor.

It was almost disconcerting how calm Thorin was. Mari had to admit she had expected tantrums, destroyed furniture, and herself quickly exiting the room, but none of that happened. He barely spoke and he avoided looking at her. She decided not to try to engage him in conversation, but instead rather to let this evening simply pass, following his lead and being silent unless necessary.

It took a while, but eventually a knock on the door announced the arrival of their meal. Mari jumped up, swiftly crossed the floor, and opened the door. As she looked up her gaze met with a set of concerned brown eyes she was so familiar with, and she broke out in a wide smile.

"Kili!" she exclaimed and stepped aside to let him inside. The tray he was carrying quickly was set aside on the table. He reached out and pulled her in, letting his forehead rest against hers for a few seconds, humming contentedly. As he pulled back and gave her a quick once-over, he slipped his hand down her arm, catching her hand, pressing it tightly, before he turned towards Thorin. Their eyes met and they stared at each other.

Mari shook her hand lose and started setting the table, calmly and methodically, as if this were any other meal, and she even hummed a tune quietly to herself as she laid out forks and knives. She picked up the lid on the cast iron pot to have a look at what the kitchen had sent then started to cut the bread, still warm to the touch.

At the sound of soles against the rock floor, she glanced up and saw Kili slowly approach Thorin. For the second time that day she felt like an intruder as she watched the scene in front of her. Her heart clenched as she saw the forlorn look on Kili's face and how disconcerted Thorin seemed.

"How do you fare?" Kili asked quietly. There was a twitch in his right hand, as if he held back the wish to reach out.

Thorin sighed deeply and his gaze found the floor between them. "How quickly the roles can be reversed," he murmured and a bitter smile stole over his features. "I should have known something was not as it should when you simply accepted my order. That look, the grief I see as you stand here before me – I should have known."

He glanced up at Kili again. "You're no longer the guileless lad I once knew." Kili bowed his head and averted his eyes, and Mari could tell he felt the reproach keenly. "You grew up." Thorin nodded. "There's little room in this world for naïve fairness, and I have been aware for some time that you have learned that lesson. I must say though, it's a bitter medicine to be on the receiving end."

With every word Kili stiffened. The quietly spoken words were far more devastating than any loud and raucous scene ever could have been. Mari slowly put down the knife in her hand and silently slipped over to the embrasure and peeked outside. It was dark outside but she caught sight of a few stars through the torn shreds of clouds. The air was icy, and she absently recalled the snowfall during the day. Winter definitely was here.

"You didn't expect me to welcome you with open arms, did you?" she heard Thorin ask behind her back, and she leaned her forehead against the wall, closing her eyes.

"Whether you wish to see it or not, I had to act. It was either that or lose you and Erebor both," Kili replied, his voice surprisingly steady and firm.

"So you're a hero, are you?" Sarcasm was dripping from Thorin's words now, and she breathed steadily through her nose to keep her cool. His words were meant to cut, to do harm and to hurt, and it was so unfair.

"Just as my naïveté is a thing of the past, my wish to become a hero is a long dead notion. Corpses have little use of glory and I want to live. I want everyone to live. I want the mountain to flourish and our future to be prosperous. I'm not going to stand by watching our dream turn into a nightmare and end in death because of this. Something clearly is very wrong." Kili paused and she could hear him move – a slight scuff of the boots, and leather creaking. "We must find the source and end this vicious cycle, or it will swallow not just you, but my brother as well. Well, unless Dain get the better of us first. This has to end."

Mari slowly turned and looked over at them. Kili had straightened and looked as firm and determined as his words had been. Thorin sat very still, exactly as he had been since she had awakened, stiffly watching Kili with his blue gaze, though it had lost the cold bitterness. The façade was cracking and underneath there was a hint of sadness and regret. He knows, it flew through her mind, and her heart quickened.

Heaving a deep sigh he nodded, and the next moment his eyes were on her and now embarrassment tinted his skin. Despite the gravity of the situation Mari offered a small smile. He quickly looked away as if he couldn't face her sympathy. His eyes landed on the table and his nostrils flared slightly, though he tried to ignore the aromas wafting through the air. But his belly decided to betray him and a loud rumble revealed that he was hungry. Bowing his head he acknowledged defeat.

With all the dignity he could muster, Thorin begun moving, pushing himself up from the bed, slowly straightening and then carefully testing his mobility. Kili watched without interfering, and as Thorin slowly crossed the short distance to the table, Kili simply fell in behind.

The meal was a quiet affair. Considering the situation it was still much better than she had expected. Kili kept throwing her worried glances, to the extent that Thorin was unable to ignore it, studying them both with guarded curiosity.

"I'm fine, Kili," she finally said in a low voice.

Thorin huffed and rolled his eyes, He knew her well enough to know those words wouldn't be entirely truthful if his nephew seemed worried. She sighed, pausing her hands that were tearing a piece of the bread in two for dipping in the gravy.

"Don't look at me like that." She locked eyes with Thorin for a moment who unblinkingly met hers as was his habit, before she made a dismissive wave with the bread. "I've not been feeling very well since we came here. That's all."

He arched an eyebrow at her and she realised that he apparently hadn't known, since he had been occupied with being king and slipping into paranoia. He'd had a habit of keeping track of them before, once upon a time, during the long winter back in the Shire. It raised her spirits to see that trait peek out here and now.

"Don't know what it is," she concluded.

"And she won't see Oin," Kili grumbled, spearing some root vegetables on his plate with more force than necessary.

"He's been busy and I'm not dying," she retorted patiently, mopping up gravy with the bread.

Kili shot her a dark glare, while Thorin gave her a measured look.

"Could be the dragon," Thorin offered.

Mari turned towards Kili and looked pointedly at him. "Precisely," she said.

In the corner of her eye she noticed a brief glimmer of amusement in Thorin's eyes. She went back to tearing the piece of bread apart to mop up more of the gravy, while she surreptitiously studied Thorin through her eyelashes. This was too good to be true, she thought. She'd not seen him this relaxed since before Fili and Gisla married, and it felt like a trap.

Kili finished his meal and looked at them both with regret. "I must leave," he announced. "Bombur has promised to come by later before bedtime by the way. Bringing a treat, he said." He smiled briefly, but the smile faded as he looked at Mari. She reached out and squeezed his hand reassuringly with a smile on her lips.

"See you later, yeah?" She did her best to seem like a veritable picture of health and contentment. Not that he'd be fooled of course, but he had to leave and he didn't need to have stones added to the weight he carried already.

Nodding, he turned and leaned in to kiss her on her forehead, as had become his habit when they parted. He turned towards his uncle, and Thorin snorted.

"Don't you dare kiss me," he grumped, but amusement sparkled in his blue eyes. Mari snorted and Kili cracked a grin as he stood.

"See you at breakfast then, unless the sky comes down over our head." Kili cuffed Thorin lightly on the shoulder and left.

Thorin and Mari continued to eat, unhurriedly, she with a small smile on her lips.

"What's ailing you?" he asked as he had swallowed down the last of the bread.

"I don't know," she replied truthfully. "Could be anything, but nothing dangerous, I think."

"Any particular symptoms?" he pressed on.

With a slight sigh she recited the list, and he nodded as he scrutinised her. It was not an unkind gaze he turned on her and she didn't feel uncomfortable, which was new.

"The lad has a point. Oin may be a busy man, but I think he could spare a few minutes to make certain there's no malnutrition or anything infesting the mountain affecting you."

"I'll see if I can find him later," she reluctantly promised.

"You could be our canary, so this is not just about you," he added with exaggerated casually.

She smirked at him, almost giddy with delight. "Of course."

Amusement again twinkled in his eyes as he nodded imperiously, and she very nearly dropped her jaw. She had to admit she liked this incarnation of Thorin. If only he could stay. . .

He slowly began clearing the table as she considered him.

"Want to play a game?" she asked. They had plenty of time on their hands and though she was eager to try to find out what was going on, she instinctively felt it would be better to keep things light this evening.

He paused and looked down at her for a moment.

"I have dice."

"It would be agreeable," he tentatively replied with a nod. With a small smile she went to fetch them.

As she left with Bombur for the night, she did something she had never done before. She reached out and touched his arm as she bid him good night, just as she would with any of the other Dwarves that weren't among those closest to her. His graveness gave way to surprise, to which she smiled, hiding the sadness she felt. She had never considered it before, but he had to be a quite lonely person, though he most likely refused to admit it.

+.+.+

_Erebor, the royal wing, 2941 TA, November 15__th__, 22 days after Smaug's death_

Thorin watched the door open from his position atop the bed. Dawn was breaking outside, late in the morning since it was winter, and he had been awake for several hours. The night had been difficult though he for some reason breathed easier here, closed off from the rest of the world.

In the long hours before he finally fell asleep, he had done a lot of thinking, and he could admit to himself that something wasn't right. As he looked back on his behaviour he saw with clarity what had happened to him. Shame filled him. Anger. Frustration. This was not how he had pictured reclaiming Erebor. He had long since decided he would be a good king, strong enough to resist the madness.

Instead he now sat chained and locked up in a small chamber somewhere in the mountain. The only comfort in this miserable situation was that it was Fili who was on the throne, not Dain, even if that grated on him too.

Emotions raged inside. He was furious about what had happened, he couldn't deny that. On the other hand, he felt relief too. The weight that had made him feel like he was slowly drowning, rendering him unable to kick himself to the surface for some air, had let go. It still gave him yanks and pulls for a moment or two sometimes, but the difference was significant, just as when he had worn Tauriel's pendant in Mirkwood.

His thoughts had gone to her, and he wondered where she was and how she was doing. Only when they had reached Lake-Town had he understood the significance of what she had given him as their ways parted, and with a heavy heart he hoped she'd never learn that it had been for nothing. It had not been enough to keep him from slipping into madness, now locked away. Judging by what had happened to his father and grandfather, there seemed to be little hope for him now.

Mari stepped through the door with a smile and a morning greeting, and he could grudgingly admit that he wasn't opposed to her presence. She brought breakfast, another positive thing, he supposed. He nodded back at her in response to her cheerful words and resigned to the realisation that if there was a way out of this, she most likely held a key to his freedom, both from the weight on his mind and this incarceration.

"I will never be rid of you, will I?" he asked gruffly as she started spreading out the contents of the tray. Her movements slowed and she looked up. Straightening, she allowed her fingertips to rest on the table surface as she gave him her full attention.

He noticed the dark circles around her eyes and the thinness in her face. He was baffled over how this woman could be so frail. Was she ever in full health? Granted, Dwarves almost never fell ill; they bounced back quickly after injuries and handled hardships quite well. They would have to be pushed quite hard to really suffer. In comparison it seemed a miracle that she was still alive.

She shrugged. "It's perhaps not likely I'll fall victim to Orcs here, but you never know. But anyone could stab me in the back. Drop me in a shaft. Tie me up and leave me outside in the snow." She paused for a moment and frowned. "There really are quite many ways in which I could be killed," she mused. "Well, aside from the fact that I will die of old age eventually."

Slightly disconcerted he shifted forward, pinning her with his gaze. "You jest about the many ways you could be killed?"

"You know, I don't like the idea of me dying. At all. It's just that this world. . . " she waved in the general direction of the embrasure, "it's pretty deadly. Perhaps not if you stay in the Shire and grow kale your entire life, but I haven't exactly done that. We've been chased by Orcs and Wargs for more than two years now." She looked down at the table.

"But I don't trust everyone here either. In that sense Orcs are easier. I know they want to kill me. It's an easy enemy to deal with. The political shenanigans going on here? I have no idea from where the blow could come."

He resolutely stepped down from the bed and made his way over to the table, manoeuvring the chain so he wouldn't trip on it. "I heard the witch in Lorien showed you your future." He sat down.

Mari reached for the butter knife and pointed it at him. "Don't be rude. Lady Galadriel is no witch."

He huffed and spooned up some porridge in his bowl.

"Possible outcomes. I saw possible outcomes." She sat down and picked up a still-warm roll and buttered it. "Didn't say much about my death, though I have my suspicions." A lopsided smile lit up her face.

"It has a tendency to ruin someone's day to learn about it," he commented dryly.

"True. True." She nibbled on the roll and eyed the teapot. "I saw yours, though."

He froze and his eyes snapped up, and he stared at her. She reached out for the teapot and poured herself a cup, then looked up at him, feigning surprise.

"Oh, so you want to know?" Her eyes were wide as she cocked her head to the side.

"I haven't yet died on a mountainside," he reminded her.

She shook her head. "No. And you won't. There'll be no great battle out there in this time line." She gave the embrasure a quick nod with her head.

"Listen, Galadriel's pool has a tendency to show you what happens if your plans don't work out. You're reminded of the stakes. It's a bloody whip to be honest. Worst case scenario now is that out of you, Fili and Kili, only Kili lives, and he doesn't get to be king. He's exiled." Picking up the cup she took a small sip.

"Ori dies. Not straight away, but later, and it's a direct effect of you and Fili not making it and Kili being exiled. Gisla ends up joining Kili in exile. She has no children. Dis." She paused and his face darkened. "Lives until old age but not in a Dwarven community."

Thorin arched his eyebrows. "And you?"

"Never got an answer to that. Which is why I think it was a roundabout way of telling me I won't make it if you die." She sipped on her tea.

He stared at her. "What?" she asked, looking at him over the rim of her cup.

"Does Kili know about this future?"

"Well, I told him it didn't show me anything about me, which is the truth. It didn't. It's my interpretation that it means bad things for me. I have seen myself in some of what it has shown me after all, so it's not foregoing my presence."

"There are numerous questions not answered." He leaned slightly forward and his voice was demanding.

"And I didn't get any more. Not in that future. It's not like you're given a detailed account of what happens. It's a string of short scenes, that's all." Slowly she drank some of her tea and put the cup down, biting into her buttered roll.

"Nothing positive?" he sighed, and scooped up some porridge with his spoon, putting it in his mouth.

She nodded and swallowed, a smile tugging at her lips now. "Things could turn out differently. Like you living. Fili too. He and Gisla having children. Good things for all of us. I saw that too."

He slowly ate his porridge while she eyed him. "Where's Kili?" he asked.

"Impersonating Walsingham along with Nori," she replied.

Rubbing his forehead with his fingers he sighed, then made a questioning gesture with said fingers as he arched his eyebrows. "I have no idea who this Walsingham is."

"Renowned spymaster." She picked up her cup and sipped her tea again.

He sighed and dropped the spoon in the bowl.

"No, it's not pretty. But both of them are good at it, though they're moving in very different circles," she said.

"I never wanted that for Kili," he murmured and stared at the content in the bowl.

"I'm sure you didn't. But right now it's a war going on out there. Fili and Kili are quite determined to win it." At Thorin's incredulous look, she continued, "Politics is just war without guns. Without swords and axes, I mean."

He sat staring down at the unappetising-looking sludge in his bowl. At the sound of her deep breath he glanced up and noticed her paleness. He frowned. Her eyes met his and she instantly glowered.

"I'm fine," she said between clenched teeth.

Arching an eyebrow at her he watched as she was visibly fighting nausea. He went over what she had listed as symptoms as he angled his head slightly while studying her, and then quelled a sigh. To be completely honest he didn't think it was anything the dragon caused, but he was reluctant to speculate, at least out loud.

"So how do I escape this chamber?" he said instead, changing the subject.

Caught by surprise, she straightened and the glower melted away, even if the paleness stayed.

"Once we know what's wrong we hopefully can do something about it."

A flair of the familiar rage that had been tearing him apart shot through him. He smacked the bowl out of his sight and pushed himself backwards, landing with a thud on the backrest. He glared down at his hands, clenching them into fists.

"You clean that up yourself." Mari's voice cut through the red veil of anger. Slowly he raised his gaze and stared at her in bafflement. She was completely calm and unruffled, pouring herself another cup of tea. "Don't look at me like that. I'm here to find out how to break this vicious cycle, not cleaning up after your temper tantrums."

It bore down on him with full force and stripped him of any concerns or cares for this small breakable creature opposite him. "You do not speak to me thus," he rumbled, focussing on her. She's an enemy, his mind whispered. She's the reason why you're here, locked up like this. A sliver of his common sense protested, but that voice died a quick death in the hands of the flaring rage consuming him.

Like a coiled viper would have, he lunged over the table, sending it and everything on it flying. She had been prepared though, expecting something, and leapt out of the way, and the next thing he knew he was on his belly on the floor, hindered by the chain, and she was by the door, out of his reach.

He let out a roar in frustration and into it he poured all the anger and despair now flooding his mind. Slowly it ebbed away and he slumped down on the cold stone floor, resting his cheek against it. Blissful cold seeped into him, and the fire sputtered and died, and with it his mind began clearing.

With a groan he rolled onto his back and when he cracked his eyes open, two faces swam into view, Mari's and one of Dwalin's men. He wanted to wave her off, tell her to leave because he would hurt her – if not now, it would happen later. She was fast, but that thing that rose in him was cunning and would learn her ways.

His arms were gripped by hands and he realised they were attempting to move him.

"Come on Thorin. You have to help us out here," Mari urged him.

Grunting he tore his arm free from her grip and used it to slowly elevate his torso off the floor. His head swam and he had to pause.

"Get Dori," he heard Mari say. "Gloin might have a moment to spare too."

The grip on his other arm was released and he very nearly fell back to the floor, but managed to keep himself half-sitting.

"Want water?" she asked, calmly crouching before him.

He grunted but didn't nod for fear of how it would make him feel. Closing his eyes he listened to her light tread in the room, how she picked up a chair on the way to the water dispenser, filling a mug and coming back. She took his hand and guided it to the mug, putting it in his hand. He finally opened his eyes, feeling slightly less shaken. His head was clearing.

"You can't be here." He barely managed to speak.

"On the contrary. This is exactly why I need to be here. You're not supposed to be locked up with the key thrown away. Fili isn't supposed to rule. Not yet."

He shook his head. "I can't fight this."

"This is already a huge improvement. Maybe a bit too big to be honest. Hard to find the cause when it's this brief, which perhaps also is a clue in itself." She sighed and began to settle on the floor next to him, relaxing. His hand shot out, wrapping around her arm, startling her. For a second he saw fear widen her eyes and then it was gone as she realised he wasn't going to do anything.

"Don't. . . let down your guard," he hissed.

She gave him a forced smile. "You know I'm going to forget about it in about two minutes again."

Letting her go he sighed. "Yes." He drank the water and she took the mug from him, rose and trekked back to the water dispenser.

"What's it like?" she asked. She turned to look at him over her shoulder.

He closed his eyes and shook his head.

"I need to know. All of it. Even things that are embarrassing." She was back next to him, handing him the mug.

He glanced at her. It was a laughable idea that he would talk to her about this.

She met his eyes and her look was knowing, and small smile tugged at her lips. "Did you know that your sister has told me about many of your escapades from when you were growing up? I already know a lot of embarrassing things about you, Thorin."

Involuntarily he huffed a laugh and shook his head. "Trust my sister to put weapons in your hands to be used against me."

Sitting down she reached out and squeezed his forearm. "They're not weapons. They're what makes you a person like everyone else. I'm _very_ aware of your gripes with loss of dignity – not just you but your nephews too – so I can imagine how this feels. But if you don't trust me, you're stuck here. Remember that worst case scenario I told you about?"

He stared down at the mug in his hands, recalling her words. He did not want to die, and most definitely not cause Fili's and her deaths either. But still. To tell her everything. . .

A bustle outside announced the arrival of his relatives, and in a whirl of activity he was helped off the floor and over to his bed, and the room was cleared. Mari was ushered outside by a stern looking Dori lecturing her, and he was left alone, facing the silence in this room.

Gently he pulled off the ring that had been handed him as a heritage from kings of old and began to turn it over in his hand, as was his habit. In this moment though, it was silent. It had been singing to him for so long that he was startled by how different it felt to slowly twirl it around here and now. The comfort was gone. He stared down at it, sighed and slipped it back on.

This all left him feeling disjointed and very lonely.


End file.
